PLDN Chapter 18
Chapter 18: A Summer of Nostalgic Memories and Modern Day Epic Pop Culture Sub-Entry 171: "Golden Week With Bunnie and Violet": Azzy's growing up. He really is. It began July 1st, which we all knew as Violet's birthday. Of course she celebrated in her usual "epic fashion"; cruising down the streets of Miranda City in the back hotub of her stretched limo, Bunnie joining her out of protest (and loyalty). Granted the opportunity to lounge in a hot tub in the back of a stretched limo is incredibly inviting. While Bunnie did have her pride, she was willing to swallow it for her best friend. Still...I had to wonder how she remained patient when it came to be paraded around like a trophy horse in just her one-piece swimsuit garment. I bet those bubbles felt incredible. Jealous? Maybe...just a little. But still, this was highly irregular. "Happy birthday, Aunt Vi!" At least Vi had the decency to cover herself with a towel after getting out to greet us. "C'mon out, Buns. The summer air's just fine." "..." Suddenly, without warning, Bunnie shot out of the hot tub like a rocket; one of her best ninja jumps I might add. As soon as she landed she was instantly clad in her karate attire and sandals...and somehow...dry as a bone? Furthermore her hair was put back into its Zero-esque ponytail. How DID she do that? I may never know. "Showoff." "That's a case of the pot calling the kettle black, Vi." She was right. A stretched limo with a hot tub was NOT subtle. Vi of course hosted her pizza party in a massive picnic. It think Mitzi just agreed because of the appeal off good old fashioned outdoors family and friends participation. That sort of thing that nobody did anymore because it was so "twentieth century" or it "wasn't cool". Or in some cases others couldn't be pried away from their phones and tablets to have an actual meal and conversations with it. Sometimes old school was the REAL cool. Either way, we all did our best to get Violet thoughtful gifts. I mean...what DO you get for the rabbit princess who has damn near everything? It's the thought that counts. So how does this involve Azzy? "...what?" My jaw dropped. "Aunt Vi's inviting me to join her and Bunnie in Little Tokyo to celebrate Golden Week this week. We'll be back in time for Tanabata on Saturday." "You mean she's flying you out on her private leer jet?" "Oh no, she's going on ahead with Bunnie. I'm going to drive to the airport and fly out there on my own." "By yourself?!" My eyes widened. "Mom and Dad okayed it." Wha-wha-wha-whaaaaaat?! Before I could even ask Scott and Callie, he already had that covered? Okay, calm yourself, Volt. You're getting overprotective. But maybe this was a wake-up call to how little time I had left before Asriel was a legal adult. "I won't be gone that long. You'll hardly miss me." He was just so upbeat about it. "I...suppose. But do you really know what you're getting into? Remember our winter vacation to Jang and Edoropia? Remember how much we all partied during our time in Little Tokyo?" "I think I can take it." "The kid's still young and vibrant. He's got this in the bag." Vi one-arm-hugged Goat Son. "Easy, Vi!" He remained oblivious to the fact that Violet was barely decent. I mean yeah, she was wearing a bikini under the towel but...she had a talent for coaxing people into thinking naughty thoughts...and on purpose, too. Supposedly she made Al Dente pass out on the spot one time after being a little TOO revealing. What did I expect from the girl who used to ditch him as a pre-teen by screaming out that he had been...ahem...fresh with her? Yeeeeeah...I need brain cleaner now. Thank the stars Asriel was still a cinnamon roll. I really hoped his innocent demeanor would last. "Ahem. If you're done now, Vi?" We wrapped up the birthday party after a while just in time for Violet and Bunnie to head off to the airport. Later that night, Asriel set off to the airport on his own and took a flight to Little Tokyo. For the duration of the week I wondered what Vi put him through when he did catch up with her. Fun was like anything else in life. Too much of it is a bad thing. The way Vi could party hardy would probably put some in the hospital. Antoine would never survive being her escort. For the duration of the week I kept occupied in the electronics shop. Thankfully, Scott and Callie kept me updated with Asriel's social media pages and accounts; blogs, photos,video clips, and the occasional live stream. Okay, so it was like he never really left...even though he clearly left. "Dear, friends and family. Having a great time in Little Tokyo. I got to meet up with the Pizza Cats again. They said hi. Lucille is in good spirits. There was an...exposive incident in which she got upset over something so trivial. The joke was on us when she realized she blew up for no reason as the problem had solved itself. I'd go into specifics but...yeah. I'd better not. Guru Lou kinda has a restraining order on us. Don't know how he got one. But I'm sure he'll forgive us for whatever it was we did...in time. I mean...it's bad to hold grudges, am I right? Eheh...eheh...Speedy should probably be working on that apology. Golden Week is incredibly fun. I had no idea there were this many celebrations. We've been to a place like that Kyoto town that you mentioned on the many Earth realms that resembles parts of Bunnie's homeland. I kinda wish I was seven again so I could take part in a Janganese festival like Shichigosan held in the autumn in Jang. It would be so much fun helping carry an omikoshi during a festival parade. Gotta run now. Violet's somehow gotten us into a Flash Mob and we're going to perform Okkusenman. See you later, Volt! - Asriel Tobias Dreemurr-Arcade." Oh you. Older but still a cinnamon roll and cherishing childish things. I received more emails forwarded to me from the O'Conner residence as well as a few invites to sit in on some live streams. "Uh...Azzy?" Okay...the kabuki makeup was not something I was prepared for. So he was cosplaying as Naruto's class photo from that early episode in the original series? Eheheheheh....yeeeeeeah. "Just like Dad in his KQF form. Whaddya think?" And now Azzy's speech patterns had gotten more informal. If there was any sign he was ever a prince that side of him had long since faded. He honestly did seem like a normal teen now. I think I just heard a Japanese "YOOOOOOOOOHHH!" in the background with the faint sound of taikos and a shakuhachi. We conversed for a bit before he had to call it a session. Finally, Saturday morning came. And Asriel stepped off the plane as Violet's private leer jet touched down on its own air field not far from town. "Welcome home, Azzy." I hugged him and he hugged back. That night, Rabbotou Dojo was decorated for Tanabata. Asriel joined everyone who laid out on the dojo's rooftop as the night sky was filled with stars. Asriel spotted a shooting star and silently wished three times in succession. A warm chuckle from Bunnie. "Golden Week was truly special, Aunt Vi. Glad you invited me out." "Always a pleasure." "It was exhausting like every year...but you make it special. I can't fault you for that." Bunnie admitted. I watched in admiration. It was good that Asriel was spending time with his mentors. That meant he wasn't too wrapped up in his own life yet. Hopefully he never would be. The day he became a stuffy adult who focused too much on his career and didn't stop to smell the flowers would be the day the cinnamon roll in him died. I prayed that it would never come to be. But for the present...I had a different obligation of my own to attend to. It was time to make good on my own promise to be there for my best friend. And after a mission in the Core and Hotland? I owed him... Sub-Entry 172: "X-Vault Vehicle Roulette on Mobius Null": I owed Asriel some bro-time. It was a long time coming in fact. The route to Mobius Null meant soe time in Tails' old hanger. But after five years it was hard to keep it fresh and within the interest span of a teenager. Sure he still liked the Macgyver-isms and the Mr. Wizard science as well as time inside the Magic Screen playing life-size Connect-The-Dots (La-la-la-laaaah! o/~). But sometimes growing up meant taking things in a...marginally more mature direction. Yet, as boys with their toys...there were some things you just didn't grow up from. And what could be more fitting for a teenager than four wheels and an ignition key? Being that Azzy had his license and I didn't have to worry about his skill behind the wheel...I had...a clever suggestion. "Vehicle Roulette?" "That...is...a BRILLIANT IDEA!" Asriel was so sold on the idea, I could see his tail wagging. So cute. Ahem...I mean...yeah. Manly times...grrrrrr! (I'm not fooling anyone, am I? Eheheh...oh boy.) "Alright. Conky has numbered each of the cars in the hanger and I've...er...borrowed five of Violet's Gaigax Polyhedron dice. The maximum roll goes up to 100. We each roll and whatever number pops up, that's what car we take for a joy-ride over Mobius Null for a bit. We head back to the hanger, roll again and take another set for a spin. Cool?" "Very cool, Volt Very cool." Azzy replied with a thumbs up. I took a moment to turn the radio off. It was playing "Ride on Shooting Star" by the Pillows. Holy schnikees. Even now you were haunting me, Rahurou. Okay. Azzy took hold of the dice and rolled them and added up the total. "Number 53." "You love-bug, you." I mused as I rolled and came up with...number 86." "He's not from around here." Asriel said with a wink. Yup. He saw the movie and remembered the tag line from the poster. And moments later a white VW Volkswagon with the number 53 on it and some thin racing stripes rently added soared out at suprising speed. "Asriel Dreemurr-Arcade rides again! I'm gonna go bananas in Monte Carlo! I got me a bug and I'm Fully Loaded!" That many references in one monologue. Hail 2 U, Goat Son. Yup...went there with a Stardust Crusaders reference. We'll break this habit...some day. But for now... I tore out of the hanger in the all-black M4S Dodge Turbo Interceptor. The vehicle of the Wraith. And so we raced all over the zone that used to be Green Hill...now an arrid desert wasteland. It wasn't the first time I'd see an iconic place like this fall into ruin. The so-called Mushroomy Kingdom was once known as World 1-1 to a certain pair of plumber brothers back in the N-Division days. "Nice!" Azzy had rolled down the window and we managed to knuckle bump for a split-second as we passed by each other in opposite directions. "Whoaaah!" I should have paid more attention because-- The headon collision with the husk of Eggman's crashed Egg-o-Matic vehicle was enough to result in a massive explosion-- * LOGGING INTERRUPTED * ... * LOGGING RESUMED * Asriel's sudden panic had turned to relief when he saw the flaming wreckage of the Turbo Interceptor spark a few times before suddenly collapsing inward and reintegrating back into its untouched form, continuing on a path beyond the annhilated Eggman vehicle. I brought the car into a skidding spinout. "Woo. That was a close one." Boy had I picked the right car. But how stupid and reckless of me. I mean...granted I could have survived the massive fireball explosion but...really. Just because I was immortal didn't mean I had to show it off. "See? Nothing to worry aboooou-- AZZY, WATCH THE ROAD!" His moment of watching to see if I was okay had distracted him form the obstacle he was about to head-on collision with when suddenly the Volkswagon split right down the middle and each half continued on opposite sides of the rock formation before rejoining. "Well. That was unexpected." Asriel blinked a few times before getting his car back on the path and catching back up to me. "What say we not be that reckless and absent-minded for the rest of this roulette." "You're a goat of genius ideas, Azzy." I rubbed the back of my head. I suppose this should be the part where, if I really wanted to get meta, I'd tell the kids at home watching that Azzy and I are trained professionals--DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. Back at the Hanger... Another role and Asriel came up with "Number 83." While I got... "Number 87" Seriously. A lot of 80's numbers were coming up. I soared out of the garage with a mighty "COWABUNGAAAA!!!" I drove on, waiting for Azzy to catch up. And when he did...? I couldn't help but smirk. "Nice soccer mom van, Azzy." I couldn't resist the jab at the familiar van. "Oh you think so...?" Asriel said with a sly grin before reaching over and grabbing a lever. "Go-Go Gadgetmobile!" I walked...er...drove right into that one. I watched the van change shap into a sporty police cruiser and then leave me in the dust. "I knew they should have left out the pizza oven." I muttered. Another race or two and... "Number 77." "Let's see...19...plus 07...plus...another 19...plus 08...plus 15...equals 68." And soon Azzy was the first one out of the hanger in a familiar red and white Cadillac. The radio blared a theme song. Asriel sung along. "Cats and Company have fun, pullin' pranks on everyone! New adventures every day! The cats will always get their way. There's a race to be on top! The competition doesn't stop. Mixing with the ladies fair; being charming, debonair! The gang will reign supreme! And no-one can deny-yai-yai-yai! They'll make some history, and always have an alibi-yai-yai-yai!" As he sailed off a cliff into the lake above the Labyrinth Zone the car plunged in then surfaced only to change shape into what appeared to be a makeshift amphibious vehicle. "Nice. But yours can't do this!" I drove up in the 1907-ish GEN 11. "What? Be older than old school?" Azzy was developing quite a snappy wit fro hanging out with Violet. "Noooo. This." I yanked a lever and yellow and red fin wings popped out of the side and the front and three-bladed propellor rotors on collapsible posts popped out of the side wings. "Oh that is SO cheating!" "Nothing in the rules that says flying craft are banned. Besides...you're piloting a submarine...sort of." I lowered the aviator goggles as I took to the air. "You are something else, best friend." Another zip back to the hanger and another roll-out. "If you have to spew...spew into THIS!" I held up the ketchup cup as I leaned out the window of the blue AMC Pacer (with flames) known as the MIrthmobile. "I'll see your spew and raise you with a bird's-eye-view!" Asriel waved from the red Chevrolette Camero bearing the name "Thunderhawk" as it transformed into a gull-winged fighter jet. "Spectrum ON!" He said as the M.A.S.K. helmet lowered over his head. "All's fair in love an war." I shook my head. I swear we were setting each other up for these moments. Seriously though...our back-and-forth banter was getting better. Back an forth we cycled through cars and traded one-liners, quips, and puns until it was time to pack it in. "Great bro-time, Volt." "The best." A fist-bump said it all. We stepped into the UCIAT Headquarters garage from the Cybergate just in time for... "Are you upset?" Vi poked Bunnie , who remained stoic with her eyes closed and arms crossed. "I'm not upset." "Are you upset?" She poked again. "I'm not upset." "Are you upset?" "I'm not upset." And this continued on unti Vi got bored then tried with Mitzi...and founder herself judo flipped up and over and hip-tossed into a splat on her face. "Oww." "Don't even." Mitzi mused. "You were warned, Vi." "Totally...worth it." I know what anime Vi's been watching. And I know she's going to get Asriel into it very soon. Sub-Entry 173: "Hole in the O-Zone Layer or Vi's Dare featuring Maya Hee, Maya Hoo, Maya All, & Maya Haha": Asriel walked to the center of the square and set down the giant boom box with a sigh. He brushed off his tye-dyed clothes and worked up his nerve. Nobody is prepared for the moment when someone actually loses a bet with Violet and has to take her up on her version of truth or dare. Asriel mashed play on the boom box and the sounds of O-Zone's "Numa-Numa" song...yes, that one from the internet a while back...came on at full volume as Asriel abandoned his pride and went into a choreographed dance number as onlookers started to stare and crowd around. "Hello. Salud. It's me. Your duke. And I made...something that's real to show you...how I feel." Asriel soon picked up the rainbow streamers on the wooden dowels and continued his one-man flash mob scene. I watched from the shop window and facepalmed. I was SO going to wring Vi's neck. "Hello. Hello. It's me. Picasso! I will paint...my words of love...with your name on every waaaall!" That was when I noticed the sudden splashes of paint...splash across the air...and just hang there, completely un-affected by gravity. "What the...!" Okay. I know for a fact Asriel is magically inert. Just like nearly all hybrids. What was going on-- "Mayah-hee! Mayah-hoo! Mayah-all! Mayah-hah-hah!" Asriel continued to lip-synch to the lyrics. Nearby, Gadget clapped and cheered while most everyone else was pretty much stupified more than the magic spell of the same name for practicers of Hoggworts curiculum magic. That was when I noticed something solid splashing in a small puddle...but there was nothing there. "Wait a minute..." It came to me. I crossed my arms when I figured it out. "When you leave, my colors fade to grey. Numa-Numa-eyy! Numa-numa-numa-eyy! Every word of love I used to say...now I paint it every daaaay!" The painting in the air faded to gray as if on cue before turning back to rainbow colors. As soon as I saw a splatter land on something solid, I could make out it was a coat...a lab coat... I shrugged, actually cracking a grin before she turned visible. Got your mom in on it, too, Azzy-- I spoke to soon as Scott soon wire-framed into existence, his haori kimono modded into a rainbow of 8-bit textures that seemed lifted off of NES sprite maps. Plus his hair was cycling through the colors of the rainbow. Violet's going to pay triple for this. "My soul...my strings...my songs...and dreams. And I bought...some things to match...the colors...of my love." As the O'Conner family continued their live internet performance, silence remained over the onlooking crowd. I was readying to swoop in and get them out of there. "Mayah-hee! Mayah-hoo! Mayah-oh! Mayah-hah-hah!" I slow turned to Violet filming on a web cam. "Violet, you're an idiot..." The performance came to an end while the whole O'Conner family landed in a dramatic broadway pose with arms outward, like they were offering hugs at no charge. A moment of silence before... "I guess I'd better rescue him from the embarassment--" So imagine my shock when the crowd began to applause and snap photos. And I think some even started filling a ball cap with loose change and bills. Wait...did they thing Asriel and company were...! I turned and watched Violet griiiiin ear to ear. "Thanks again, Mom. You know for..." "We'll always be here for your, dear." "But next time, champ...don't let Violet talk you into something like this. No matter how embarassing." "Believe me, Dad. Mom I tried. The heavens know I tried..." He rubbed the back of his head. *THWAP* "Owww." "I'd confiscate that camera, but I'm pretty sure you were live-streaming." Bunnie crossed her arms. "Eheheheh." "Asriel. No more dares." "Yes, sensei." The crazy, mixed-up world we live in. I suppose the lesson to be learned was humility. But then again...Asriel already knew the lesson. So...I guess we learned...nothing? Sub-Entry 174: "Goat Man and the Mouse": "...it is truth serum..." Was the last thing Al Dente mutterd after spilling way-too-much T.M.I. before passing out. I suppose the lesson to be learned is let the punishment fit the crime? "I'd ask you what we learned, but...you know." Vi shrugged before patting Al's back roughly. Mostly to make sure the sign she taped to his back--that read World's Greatest Grandma--stayed on there. "Do it again and I'll keep you up all night with my new electronic drumset and E-Toms." A rabbit playing a drum in flip-flops...where have I heard this one before? "I think we should probably go before we're noticed..." Asriel muttered. "Yeah. Good idea." Gadget agreed as the two of them snuck away. "So...that was certainly...a thing." "So...what should do now?" Asriel shrugged as he and my little sister tried to think of a way to stave off the bordom. "Well...I have been inspired lately by something I saw in the Quantum Mechanics sub-lab." "Hmm?" "You're pretty familiar with my Hybrid Ability by now, right?" "Yeah." "And you understand why I'm the only one who can wear the Reduction Belt, right?" "Right. Don't know where you're going with this..." "Well...I had this idea for a practical way to link Hybrid Powers to another person and a way for them to share their powers. Like a temporary cross-infusion--" "Oh! Like what you and Mitzi did in the Raxis Tournament when you merged your powers to make that energy golem thing with the both of you piloting it. And you were able to use each other's abilities for a short time." "Yes. But it was terribly impractical and very down-and-dirty. We were lucky to maintain that symbiosis for that long." "You want a safer, more reliable way of doing so and making it practical." "And I think, Azzy...I've succeeded." "Wait, really?" Asriel's eyes brightened. "And you need someone to help test it, right?" "Wow, you're really sharp!" Gadget beamed as she lead on to the Nanology Sub-Lab. The science of miniaturization? I guess Gadget really was our own Janet Van Dyne. "I built some custom suits for us to properly harness and link our energies." "Just think...being able to size-change like you." "And being able to harness solar energy like you." "It's like the next step for being real siblings." A shared laugh and smile. "Well, when you put it that way...I'm pretty sure Chara and I never attempted anythign like this. But..." "Hey. Don't start thinking about past choices. It stays in the past, right?" "Right as always, Gadget." So a quick suit up. "Nice. A little bit of Marvel meets My Hero Academia, Gadget. For something make-shifted, you got good fashion sense for the hero-in-the making." Asriel then looked pensive. "Miss Sally would want us to confirm plenty of safety protocols and contingency plans. I mean...this could be dangerous." "You worrying, Azzy?" Gadget jabbed until she realized he was serious. I was finally rubbing off on him. Hopefully not too much. That determination. That bravery. It was what allowed him to take chances and dare where I would hesitate. He always had a natural balance with that after facing Chara-Wraith. Second-guessing himself...it could be a double-edged sword. "Yeah, you're right. I thought this out clearly." Gadget reassured as she opened the laboratory storage box and fished out a pair of chipset motherboards with her writing etched on them in purple. She plugged one into her Reduction Belt's chip interfaces and then one into Asriel's buckler. "Okay...powering up...linking in 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...IGNITION!" A purple haze washed over both suits moments before it dissolved and a second yellow-tinged white haze washed over both suits. "I feel...something." "Me too. It means our powers are linked." "Before we do whatever we're going to do next...let's leave a note." "Already done. And I've set the Experiment In Progress, Do Not Disturb warnings and notes on the lab doors and monitors." "So...what are we going to do with our shared powers right now?" "FIrst we're going to test them a bit and get a feel for them. Then...there's something over there in the containment case over there in the quantum grid cage I want to show you." "I know it's probably more comic book movie stuff, but Violet would want me to ask...is this anything like a...quantum realm or something?" Gadget giggled. "Well, you're not wrong but let's say it does involve going sub-atomic." "And then she'd say something about not getting eaten by ants." Another laugh. "You're silly, Asriel. Believe me, the lab would be locked down if we had even one insect running lose in the labs." "Yeah, because that's how you get Brundlefly-ed." A sweatdrop. "I don't think that could happen in real life." Gadget rubbed the back of her head. "Okay. Ready for this?" "Yeah. As ready as I'll ever be. Do we have to do this in unison like...Fusion-Ha?" "Too much manga and anime, Azzy. Too much manga and anime. Nah. It's nothing like that. If anything each of us has a holistic copy of the other's powers so...we can work independantly of each other for as long as both suits are powered. But be careful, anyway. There may be complications if we have to re-synch while in--" "Yeah, I get it." "Well. I'll go first and you can follow my lead." Gadget adjusted the Reduction Belt and soon shrunk down to barely visible to Asriel's naked eye. "Don't get too much of a head start!" Asriel called out before mimicking Gadget's adjustments to the number. "Whoah-hoaaaaaah!" He was so not prepared for it. But words did no justice for what he was in for. "Oh wow. There's absolutely no cracks in the floor." "Nano-polymer. Goes down to a molecular level. Important safety feature when working in a micro and nano technlogy lab. You know to make sure--" Gadget's voice came over the helmet communicator. "Nothing goes slipping through the cracks." He replied. I feel that's somehow a reference I'm not picking up on that somehow involves Gadget...and a pair of gumshoes picking up the slack...but I don't know what. Weird. "Before we go any further, you're not going to surprise me with somethink like...your suit has wings and stingers, are you?" "Of course not. Rocket thrusters work better. But I equipped yours with something almost as cool." Asriel noticed the blinking light. A click on the button and something unfolded off the mechanical spine running down the back of his suit and nano-unpacked into something like a-- "You couldn't resist, could you? After all that talk about comic book references?" Asriel put his knuckles to his hips. "Aunt Vi dared me. Besides I always wanted to makeshift a nanotech multi-legged robot and then miniaturize it." "...really." "If it helps, I did build it using a child's Cootie-Bug toy and some Capsela parts. And some Legos and Construx." "And somehow equipped it all with nanotechnology? You really ARE a prodigy." "Oh, stop! But actually, the legs are just cosmetic. Really it can--" The legs folded in and unpacked into multiple burner jets like Sally's butterfly wings. "You made it fly. Of course you made it fly." Asriel was grinning. The two of them explored the lab, propelled by thrusters and rockets. "Look at the size of that!" Asriel looked up at the single grain of salt that had been left in the center of a glass specimen slide on the table. "You won't find anything like this in Minecraft." He added. "Wouldn't recommend trying to sample it. It'd be a fatal dose at this size." "Ick. Salt's bad for you, anyway." Fingerprints had become like garden mazes. Electronic parts were like towers. "We should have left an Oreo out. We'd have spoil our dinners in no time." Asriel joked. Oh, that reference. Rick Morranis be proud. After a bit of exploring. "You know, you haven't tested my powers out, yet." "In due time. We'll need them where were going next." A bit of a flight to the microport entrance of the air-tight glass-walled isolation tank... "There...in the center. You ready to miniaturize further?" "Yeah." Asriel gripped his fists and nodded. And they got small and what a trip it was. "You sure we don't need some kind of quantum tunnel or something?" "Azzy!" "Okay, okay. No more MCU references. Promise." He drew an X over his heart. "So there it is...in that force field?" "Yeah..." "Well...smaller we go." And from dust-sized...to cell-sized...to molecular sized...to atom sized...and finally. "We're getting to the size below photons so...while light may travel as particles and waves..." "That's where we use my powers. At this miniaturized level..." Asriel cupped his hands and produced a miniature sun that gradually grew in size, becoming a self-sustaining fireball. "Now you try." Gadget focused...and eventually...a spark...an ember...and soon... "I did it!" Gadget giggled. "Oh wow! It's so warm! I can feel it even through my suit. That shouldn't be possible but..." "Yeah. Now hold it aloft and light your way." I don't know if this is really how quantum physics is supposed to work, but on our world...eh...why question it at this point. This was THEIR adventure, after all. "So what is it you wanted to show me...?" By this time Asriel and Gadget were beyond sub-atomic. A moment of silence, then he gasped as he saw it. "This is it, isn't it? You wanted to show me..." He took a deep breath. "That you've discovered a new sub-atomic particle!" "That's right! Another new quark-like entity. Maybe it's the elusive god-particle that science has theorized about?" Gadget said as she was taking readings with her equipment. "You really are a genius." "Well...above average." A bit of study around the quantum realm...er...picoscopic universe...whatever it was... "Well. Our time's about up. Let's get out and back to the lab." "Yeah. Let's." And once outside... "Let's do some growing up!" And like that... A hiss of the air as they unlocked their helmets and removed their gear. "That was one heck of an adventure, Gadget. And just think about how it's going to benefit science." "Slow your roll, Azzy. I got a loong way to go to actually making it a a discovery I can submit as part of my research. But yeah. This is big." "So. What do you want to do the rest of the day...?" And so... *ZOOOOM* "What the Heck?!" Rotor gasped as Antoine ducked for cover, landing in a mud puddle. "Eeeeeeeyaaaaah! We are under zee attack! Giant een-sects are coming for us! We are doom-ed! DOOM-ED!!!" "We are so to make Aunt Vi jealous as heck." Asriel zoomed by on the converted ant-cycle. Gadget gave a thumbs-up as she caught up to him with rocket burners blazing. "You know, this would make a great movie..." Oh boy. Sub-Entry 175: "Camp Candy": Normally, I'd narrate this adventure in real-time. But, given how exausted we both were afterward? I'm just going to recap it. I swear, between this and the adventure in Bellwood, I'm really phoning these things in. Would it help to say I'm sorry? Yes? No? Maybe? Ugh. I'll make it up to whoever's reading this. So Asriel was volunteering to be a camp councilor for a week. Lupe and I went with him to support. But honestly, he's got this. To be frank, I think he was anxious to rediscover his scouting days. I figured his time in the scouts would have lasted longer but...nothing lasts forever. He advanced the ranks pretty quick and made a lot of friends. On top of that, somewhere, he has a whole sash full of merit badges. I'd never earned that many when I was his age. Honestly, I was curious to see how he'd mesh with a younger generation of kids. I guess I wasn't prepared that he had accepted the position off world. That meant the Unitrix core had him posing as human. I could demorph. But lat left Lupe. How would she get around this? Huh. Full druid cloak with one of Bunnie's porcelain wolf spirit ornamental masks. And she her her tail tied around her waist. That's one way. Hope no one got a look at her hands or her toes. But that wasn't what I wasn't prepared for. What I wasn't prepared for was the camp's charismatic head councilor...John Candy? Why not? I guess on some other world he had to still be alive...and not a famous movie actor? Made as much sense as anything else in this weird Omniverse. He was everthing I remembered from his other universe character selves, including Barf the Mawg and Chester "Chet" Ripley from Chicago who had that clash with obnoxious relatives and the giant-bald-headed-bear while camping in the Great Outdoors of Claire County. Yup. Upbeat. Wisecracking. The butt-end of life using him as a slapstick punching bag. Big as a horse and probably weighed as much as one. But by far a loveable guy. "We're so proud of you volunteering to help out." Callista and Scott were there to see their teenage son off as he job shadowed. I wondered if he was actually considering this as a career choice? Somehow I felt like this was only a brief stint and not a life-time commitment for him. Just dipping his toes in the water, so to speak. While he got to learn about the camp, Lupe and I familiarized ourselves with the staff and this summer's lineup of children attending. Lupe immediately took a shine to young, African-American girl, Robin McHale--a all-around nature-lover. Lupe could tell she had the gift and the touch with plant and animal alike. Mostly animal, though. And I could tell the attraction was mutual. Fauna just had that connection with her. Alexandria "Alex" Dawson. Red-head. Tomboy. The daughter of a beefy trucker and man's man. She carried the mother of all Swiss-Army knives. I soon discovered it held an impossible number of tools...some which shouldn't feasibly collapse into it without Cybertronian nanotechnology but...then again, this was a different world with different physics. But seriously...a Swiss-Army knife with a FREAKIN' JACKHAMMER in it?! Vanessa Carter. Rich. Snobbish. Big hair in a ponytail. Million-dollar complexion and manicure. I could tell immediately she was someone to keep Violet away from. Oddly enough the main reason not being Vi riding the border of what was not-safe-for-school, but more so how we'd never hear the end of the glamour and diva tropes nor the comparing of bank accounts. That took care of the girls. Iggy Jarvis. A bespecticled hypochonriac and a yellow streak down his spine worse than Antoine's. Constantly nervous, constantly panicking...and...a chronic...worrywort. Hmm...sound familiar, Volt? Subtract everything else, and this was you in a nutshell. Definitely not a good idea to transform around him. He'd run for the hills and never come back. Gregory "Binky" Jarvis. Iggy's little brother. Adventurous. Happy. As naive as you'd expect. Echoes of Asriel but even younger. Honestly I could tell he and Asriel were going to get along just fine. And blond-haired Rick Rogers. An amateur but talented prankster. Upbeat and cool but y'know. I had a feeling his sense of humor split the difference between Edward Videomax and Roy Rooster. How accurate I was could be anyone's guess. Hmm. Small camp crowd. I wondered if the camp was under a financial crunch. Asriel and I also became acquainted with the camp medic, Nurse Molly. Bright and ditzy while having a semi-obvious crush on John. After pondering my earlier thought about the camp having troubles, I wasn't that far off but for the wrong reason. It soon dawned on both Asriel and me that Camp Candy was getting it from both ends. The first in the form of a greedy rich developer named Xavier "Rex" DeForest III. A short, grumpy, ill-tempered moustached millionaire who gave me echoes of Cosmo S. Spacely while reminding me of the lead character from Anchorman...but if he was played by Peter Dinklage. Villains like him really were in...short demand...heheh. Admit it, Azzy. That was funny. "Everything about that man makes my fur stand on end." "A shining example of the humans that Chara warned me about." Asriel crossed his arms and wrinked his snoot. "Don't judge the species though. Judge the invidual." "Bunnie warns to judge slowly. But this guy? I don't need that much time to make up my mind." "Same here." DeForest schemed to no end, day and night, to try to find ways to close down Camp Candy just so he could demolish it to make room for a condominum. Assisting him was a dimitted, buck-toothed greaser out of the 50's by the name of Chester. Actually...dimwitted was being kind. This is why you don't drop out of school, kids. This is why. On the other end...a rival camp--Camp Kickboot--was headed by the stricted disciplinarian, Hob Nayles. A guy I soon figured out was desperate to humiliate John. It didn't take Asriel long to figure out what a coward he was beneath the drill sargeant surface. "Arlene would make mince-meat of him." "Too true, Goat Son. Too true." Day in and day out, normal activities would be complicated by not-so-normal adventures. One minute all was well with John cooking breakfast...the next...the whole campe was turned upside-down over desperation to dig up gold to pay for a new mess hall after...a slight fire incident. An incident that DeForest wasted no time in getting the fire marshall to cite the camp for safety violation. But thanks to some help from an unlikely source and Asriel helping put his two coppers in... "We'll have the new mess hall built in record time. All thanks to that little nugget of gold." I couldn't help but grin over DeForest's plan nipping him in the butt when the fire marshall discovered multiple fire hazard in his own lake-side condo. "Have a pleasant day, Mr. DeForest." I waved with an all-too pleasant grin. Before we knew it things got biblical when Robin and Alex somehow managed to contruct a giant ark out of popsicle sticks for the animals of the forest when faced with the very strong belief the camp was about to be flooded. Aside from somehow getting Asriel to assist, on the grounds he keep it secret...things didn't quite as planned...yet somehow the three of them did manage to keep the animals protected from a lone hunter out for big game. "Unconventional, Asriel. But...I admire your determination to protect nature." Lupe complimented. "But next time, trust that life has its own ways of surviving natural disaster. That goes for you girls, too." Parents day meant competition. And I've been very vocal about how I feel about competition. With kids? You know it's a matter of "may the best parents win"...but that's on paper. It's when things got TOO competitive, I felt justified about why I didn't like competition let alone competitive sports. "I'm glad I'm too mature to fall into that trap." Asriel mused. "But you totally would have six years ago, wouldn't you have?" "...eh.......guilty as charged..." He muttered. Mind the ego, goat son. Older doesn't mean you get to gloat, my goat. So that begs the question what happens when you accidentally dig up an old treaty between the Native Americans that once lived on this land and there's a slight problem that your camp is built on their land? I suppose it could become a legal matter and tied up in court. Or John could simply pack up and close the camp and return the land to its decendants; because it's the right thing to do. Buuuut...there's always a more contrived, more comedic approach to this. Simple answer: John has to go through the various rites and challenges of becoming an honorary Native American according to the ways of old. Even if that meant swimming the length of Lake Catchatori, walking Devil's Frying Pan...barefoot. And subduing and taming a wild grizzly bear, with just a bow-and-arrow, by the end of the day. What could go wrong? "Admit it, Asriel. You dropped the hint of catching more flies with honey than vinegar." I could almost see the halo over his head as he grinned sheepishly. "But it was up to John to figure it out later on when he saw the beehive and the unconscious bear." He grinned with a wink and a Nester pose. I could almost see the star appear above his finger as he did so. It was hard to keep a bad villain down, sometimes. None of us were prepared for the addition of two more campers, respectively named "Freddy" and "Jason". Gonna stop you there and let you think about the obvious Horror movie references. Seriously. Let that sink in for a bit and you'll be decently prepared for what kind of an experience we all had with the during the course of one day. Seriously. How did this much happen in only one day?! "Azzy." "Volt." "I see they pranked you in the mess-hall." "Water balloons filled with maple syrup is just cruel. You?" "I don't think I'll be teaching canoe-ing any time soon. " I wrung my tail out. "I believe my tale of woe tops both of yours..." We hear Lupe's voice behind us then saw what I can only describe as a mummy with about ten pounds of trash stuck to it. "What did they do to you?!" "Do not ask." "How did they get the trash to stick to the bandages?" "They're not bandages. It's fly paper." "Ooooooh." So much to our relieve, somehow their dog tag necklaces had somehow landed in our grasp. And to no surprise the last name on them was "DeForest". Oh revenge would be ours. Yes it would. I silently counted backwards--lowering a finger, one-by-one on my hand before pointing to the sky. And as if on cue Rex DeForest III's anguished cry rang out through his condominium followed by the sounds of mischievious laughter, crashing, and things breaking. "I dedicate this symphony of chaos to the kids back at Camp who will sleep soundly tonight knowing justice is served." I said smugly. "Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy..." Asriel mused with a look I had only seen on OG Chara. Oh yeah. We were terrible influences on him. And at this moment, I could honestly say...proud of it. And then there was the accidental delivery of a crate full of professional-grade Hollywood monster masks, the day after movie night when we made the mistake of screening Dr. Horrible's Horrible Heads. We learned just how far Iggy's run-away imagination could go. It was probably a mistake to use the surprise costume party for Asriel and I to come in our normal forms and claim to be "in disguise". Yup. Definitely a mistake. Never heard a kid scream that loud. I think both our hearing came back...by the end of the day. "Should we slip away and--" "Demorph? Totally. Before someone figures out these aren't disguises." And before I knew it...everything wrapped up by Saturday night. Everyone was homeward bound. Asriel now had more work experience to put on his resume. And Deforest? Yeah...I don't think we'll be hearing much from him... "Should we...help him?" "I kinda don't want to, but we probably should. Not for his sake, but the bear's. Poor thing has no idea what kind of indigestion it's in for." I shrugged. Oh well. Sub-Entry 176: "Thumbing Through the Comic Strip. Adventure Quadrupled?": So this happened. We were testing gateways in the dimensional lab and where do we find ourselves? On a four-world adventure-hopping faux pas. Emphasis on the hopping, considering our first stop. "Where are we?" "Seems like a normal enough city. Populace seems to be full of hybrids like us. We won't have to worry about blending in...I think." "And that was Rap Me, Rap Me, Rap Me Round' You Finger. Stay tuned for even more hip-hop from your local radio station. This is your D.J., Typhoon Toad for your one and only house of rap, W.R.I.B. Ribbiiiiiiit!" I heard come from a nearby jam box. "Well I guess we should be prepared for a lot of rap music." "Yup." "First things first...we never did break for lunch when we were working on the interorcitor circuit." Asriel scratched the back of his head as he draped his lab coat over his shoulder. My stomach rumbled. "Good point. I just hope they have normal food. I don't want to have to end up snacking on flies and crickets or something." I shrugged. As luck would have it we managed to land near Snappy Sam's Diner. We entered to final a pink-haired frog with hoop earrings and purple eyeshadow behind the counter while a middle-aged snapping turtle was in chef's attire and a chef's hat was busy cleaning up the spilled soda that she had knocked over while...ironically enough wiping down the counter while looking off in a daze. Gee. I wonder which one of them was the owner and proprietor. Snappy's? Naaaah. Couldn't be THAT obvious... "Loretta! LORETTA! HEY! LORETTA!" Or maybe it could. "Hmm? You talking to me? "No, I'm talkin' to myself!" He retorted, sarcastically. "This reminding you of Ed Debevic's?" I ask Asriel. "Sort of. Just a lot less shut-ups and rudeness directed to the customers. I hope." "I thought so. Because if you were adressing ME, you'd be addressing me as...Honeylove." "Honeylove?" The turtle gasped in surprise. "Honeylove?" I repeated under my breath. "Sounds like some kind of new health food." Asriel said with a shrug. I hope we weren't interferring with this world' timeline. I mean it was one thing to interferre with a timeline of a registered world that you have recorded in the database and are on a first-name basis with its people...but an unknown world? This was just sloppy exploration. I wasn't setting a good example for Asriel. As it turned out "Honeylove" turned out to be her new stage name and she admitted she was part of a group...a band. "What kind of band do you think it is?" Asriel asked. "I don't think we have to take too many guesses." I said as the door swung open and a stringbean of another frog--this one male and wearing an orange speed suit, high tops, a backwards ball cap and shades. He was carrying a stereo boom box on his shoulder which he set down at a window table. "The Street Frogs!" Honeylove Loretta grabbed a whisk from the kitchen and used it as a microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen....put them together for the hottest croaker in the business! The hopped out King of Rap! Mr. Bubbly himself! Dr. Slick!" The Doctor was zipping around with breakdance moves, spins, and twists, followed by effortlessly vaulting over one of the chairs and into a seated position in another chair at an empty table. "Hold your applause, Snappy Sam." He mused as Sam stifled a yawn. "Is he for real?" I ask Asriel who shrugged. "Now get ready for the Heat of the Beat, with the Prince of Percussion, the Sticky One himself, the New Sensation of Syncopation, Spyder!!!" Moments later, in hopped--literally--a shorter, heavyset frog maybe no more than 12 in an orange shirt with rolled up sleeves, black vest, rag headband, blue pants, and old loafers who preceeded to jump to a bar stool and slap the counter in rhythmic beats, hopping from stool to stool, and continuing his drumming, accidently using Snappy Sam as a drum...to his disdain before leaping over to a table and grabbing a pair of spoons to use as drumsticks. "Presenting...the Hip-Hopper, the Mean Bopper, the Boss-breaker, the one-and-only Mr. Excitement......Moose the Loose!" In through the door came an even taller and thinner frog than Dr. Slick; entering by means of doing the Worm across the floor. He wore jeans, a yellow shirt, a open black leather jacket, and a hat right worn by Sly Stallone right out of the first Rocky movie. He then literally coiled around a barstool like a snake, seemingly devoid of all but bare minimum skeletal structure. He managed to do a headstand on the barstool before literally hopping across the bar stools on his head like a living pogo stick. "They're sure putting on a show." Asriel mused, actually tapping his foot to the beat. "Oh brother." I muttered as Snappy Sam facepalmed and wiped his face off in exhasperation. "And now the one you've all been waiting for...the glamourous, the incorrectable, the newest, the brightest, the hottest star of stage, screen, and Snappy Sams's........" At that moment a pudgy kid frog...a toddler at most? Six? Seven? Eight? Just real young and really high-pitched entered and went into a pretty impressive breakdance routine. Striped yellow and orange shirt, baggy jeans, a hat hat like something I'd seen out of Fat Albert and the Cosby Gang. "Here it comes." "...Honeylove!" Wait, what? "HONEYLOVE?!" We all said in disbelief. Girl's got an ego. "Hey! What about me!" Said the kid as he landed face down on the floor. "I'm sticky! I'm wet! What about my intro?!" "Oh yeah. This is Big Maxx. Who fell flat on his face...as usual." I think our presence here ended up causing the timeline to diverge but...I guess we'll never know. "If you're done here, Honeylove, you still got a job to do here. And we got customers." "Uh...hi." I grinned sheepishly as Azzy waved. "Take you order?" "Uh...please!" Asriel grinned. "What'll it be?" "Uh...got pizza?" He shrugged. "Really?" I raised an eyebrow. I think was getting to like pizza too much. But...people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Frankly, I could live on pizza. "One or two slice? We'll make it nice. Believe you me, it ain't no phony when it got that pepperoni. It's got the sauce to show you who's boss." "Sheesh. More rhymes than Francine Manx..." I muttered. "Uh, two each." "What he said." I followed up We got served our slices. It seemed like her posse was about to ask us if we were from out of town and where we were from when a deilivery came for Snappy Sam. It didn't take but a sniff or two to realize the big oaf was actually a cat in a walk-around costume. He was hauling a birthday cake. Apparently a gift from the guys at the bowling alley courtessy of The Hop Line at W.R.I.B. This led to some antics which left Azzy and me out of the spotlight. Probably for the best. It soon became a discussion between the Street Frogs over earning some money to cut a demo tape and such. I soon came to realize that they referred to money as "seed" around here. Which immediately triggered a flag with me. We were off world...with no idea about the currency exchange. I really hoped they took our legal tender...this was going to be a prob-- "Huh?" I opened my wallet and discovered the cash inside had...changed? Definitely not the faces on the bills I had had come to know on Neo Arcadian legal tender. "Er...here you go." I hesitantly paid at the register and held my breath. But to my relief I was handed back my change without a word. No sign that it was "counterfeit" or play money. Huh. Weird other dimensional physics. We were on our way, leaving the occupants of the diner to their devices when-- "...what the..! We were just...!" Another city. This one felt more like...Mega Kat City or one of those other places. I quickly noticed... "Cats. All cats!" A moment of silence. "Eh." I shrugged. "Uh, Volt? Don't you think that'll be a problem?" "What do you mean?" "I mean you're kind of a--" He broke off mid-sentence. "Hold that thought." I turned toward him and immediately figured out what he was going to say. "Umm...yeah. I think I know what you're going to say." "Then...let's not say anything." Sure enough the strange physics of this world had left us both anthropomorphic cats. "Well...blending in is no longer an issue." I shrugged as we continued on, passing by McClaw's Detective Agency. "KEEE-YAAAH!" That was the sound of a karate yell followed by a window breaking...the the sounds of something heavy falling down what I assumed was a staircase before something...no someone, spilled out of the doorway. "Uh...?" Asriel slow turned to the orange and red anthro cat in a white karate gi and black headband. Creme blond tuft of hair in bangs. Kind of a dull appearance, really. I didn't want to jump to conclusions but...I had a feeling he would not pass one of Bunnie's classes, despite the fact he was wearing a black belt. "You...okay there?" He offered to help the guy up. "I'm lean...I'm mean...I'm a karate machine!" Was it just me or did this guy sound like a young Sylvester Stallone...with less mumbling? "I can see that..." Asriel would have sweatdropped if we were on our own world. "If you're done fooling around out there, you have a job." Came the voice of heavy-set Katie McClaw. "On my way up!" Suddenly he spun like a top and quick-changed out of his training gi into a white shirt, grey suit coat, red necktie, blue pants and white spats and white gloves. Okay...so he was one of the detectives. "Uh...nice meeting you, Mr. Uh...?" "Hurry, Karate Cat! Big Papa's been spotted clear across town! Get that rat before--" "I'll have him back before sun down!" "Er...yes...Mr. Karate Cat." Asriel scratched his head. "Kee-yow, baby." Karate Cat waved as he headed back up. "We meet all kinds, don't we?" "I wonder what his sparring partners are like?" I shook my head. A bit more exploration, a few more run-ins with Karate Cat and his partners as well as their nemeses--Papa Cat, Boom-Boom Burmese, and Sumo Sai. Suffice to say...it went exactly as I through it would with a lot of belly-bops, crashing into walls, slapstick, and just face-palming moments. Hard to believe the lengths anyone would go to just to retrieve a pearl necktie pin that accidently got baked into a...ew...sardine turnover. Blech. ANd then chased into a sewer where it was swallowed by a gator. Just out of idle curiosity I decided to listen in outside of the detective agency when the craziness was all over. I distinctly heard Karate Cat mention that he saw the list of stolen jewelry and replaced the pearl with a fake. That meant the gangster boss got away with something totally worthless while the pearl went back to the jewelry store. Guess maybe he wasn't as much of a dim-bulb as I thought. "Heh." "C'mon, Volt. We need to find a way off this--" *FLASH* "...world?" And once again we were on another world. This one was...a summer camp? But it sure was...creepy-looking. I heard the sound of an organ playing. I looked up atop a rocky pillar in the darkness of night and saw a pipe organ perched on top of it with a scary phantom of the opera character at its console. "Oh boy..." "What kind of a summer camp is this?" Asriel walked around a bit before seeing the camp's sign. "Camp Mini-Mon?" "Sounds...er...Indian?" "Volt." Asriel scolded. "Sorry. Native American." It was hard remembering to be P.C. in this day and age when you grew up in what was our world's version of the 80's. Asriel didn't have that problem at all. "That's better." After the last mishap, I think it was prudent that we stayed out of the spotlight...er...moonlight. In all probability, I didnt' want to freak out the campers. I mean we HAD changed back and all. A six foot werewolf and a goat hybrid was going to raise a lot of eyebrows. Sure enough I spotted a human camp councelor, lecturing a human boy and girl. Siblings, from what I could deduce. "Yeah, we're definitely in the wrong place." "Give me a second and I'll use the Unitrix." "That might work, yes. And me demorphing will definitely keep me covert. But we still need a cover story of what we're doing way out in the middle of nowhere at a summer camp. I overheard their names were Sherman and Melissa. Something told me the parents were too busy to really pay attention to where exactly they sent their kids for the summer. That was when I saw more of the kids show up. It didn't take me long to figure out, we had it all wrong. We weren't the ones who stood out. It was the camp councellor and the human kids. This was a camp for...! "Monsters?" Asriel cocked his head. "Yeah...but I don't think these monsters are made of magic--" *POOF* "...most of them." I watched as a boy wizard name Melvin had accidently cast a spell transforming the human boy into a kitten. Wait a minute...Melvin......Merlin? No, that was a stretch...wasn't it?" Not until I heard the role call. Dracky? Wolfie? Gill? Mummo? Blanko? Klutz? Winifred the Witch? Melvin the Wizard? Okay. Definitely no coincidence. These were the offspring of some pretty famous movie monsters. Mental note to self...don't bring Jon here. A bit more exploration and I found out the camp doctor was pretty much Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. At some point we almost got found out by Cawfield the Talking Crow. Further investigation revealed...they weren't here for the summer...they were here for a YEAR. "Jeeze. I don't know if it would be easier to stay out of sight or actually reveal ourselves to them. One option seems just as much trouble as the other." "Stay calm, Volt. We probably won't be on this world for much longer--" And so... "See? What did I tell--" This is probably the moment that Asriel knew EXACTLY how I felt the moment I first brought him to Miranda City...and arrived well above the target. "Yaaaah!!!" The warp dialation hadn't completely formed. We were still phasing into physical existence. Which is why it came as a huge suprise when we darn near crashed through some kind of alien ship in the middle of the ocean. But instead we ended up phasing through it, passing through several floors until we solidifed just over-- *SPLASH* .....an indoor swimming pool? WHat a thing to have on something the size of a research vessel. Strange...I felt...strange. The next thing the two of us knew we had been ejected out of what I figured was some kind of hatch. Maybe for a submarine or something? Who'd put an escape hatch to the ocean in a swimming pool. "Volt? I think something weird just happened to us..." "What do you..." My eyes widened. "...mean?" Well here was my nightmare fuel. If I had ever wondered what would happened if I combined Asriel Dreemurr with Undyne? My question was answered. Furthermore...he was breathing...underewater. ... ...and so was I?! Why did I feel like I was missing patches of fur and I was suddenly feeling...kinda scaley? "I don't think that was a swimming pool." "Not any normal one at any rate. Where are we? WHAT are we?!?" I tried swimming up to the hull of the ship and tried to get any kind of info from it. A bit of concetration and a name popped into my head. "S.A.R.K. This ship is called S.A.R.K. It IS some kind of research facility." "I got this." Asriel fished out...heh...the NX Board. What, Violet and Nikita made that thing waterproof, too? Thank goodness for waterproof tech. He found an access hatch and plugged his board in. It was weird. I could see the screen as clear as day; not even blurred by the water. I really don't think I wanted a look at what our eyes must look like. "I found a Ship's manefest. Here's the crew list." "Commander Mako, Dr. Walro, Second Mate Rodolpho "Dolph", Communications Officer Octavia, Mechanic Lorca, assistant Bronc, assistant Angel, and mascot...a bassett hound named...Gupp?" "What kind of a research team is this?" "I'd think oceanographers but...why aren't they on the ship?" "Why indeed?" We heard a voice behind us. "Wha...? A walrus?" I said, flabberghasted. Actually not so much a walrus...but more of a genetic splice of a man and a walrus. Oh boy. I did NOT need Violet dropping references to Tusk right about now. Rotor wasn't the only one who hated that movie. "I can tell by your expressions, you're not from around here." "Accidental tourists would be the correct phrase, I'd say." I rubbed the back of my head. "Umm...explanations are long overdue." "I'll explain aboard the SARK. You should probably go back through the Fish Tank again. You don't have experience with using it." "Er...right." I followed Dr. Walro back in, with Azzy behind me. A reversal of the polarity of the "Fish Tank" and... "Oh. That is so much better. I'm never taking my fur for granted again." "Me neither." "Off worlders, I see?" "Oh! You're human!" Asriel seemed surprised. "Seems we're in the company of them. You're not from this world, either, are you?" "It's a bit of a long story. This world is called Water-O." "Clever." I rubbed my chin." "So you are researchers here. And somehow you've become this world's protectors, known as the TigerSharks? Fascinating." "You seem like the kind of guy who's well-respected. I could learn a lot from you." "Azzy!" I protested him being too forward and too friendly. A well-natured laugh. "I'm just an old sea scientist keeping his crew out of trouble. If you want to speak to our leader, I'm afraid Maco and his entire team is off ship, dealing with a rather unruly headache that goes by T-Ray." "Villains?" "The polite way of referring to them, yes." "It's always great to meet superheroes." "This is fine and all but we really need to get back to our world. The research and exploration is wonderful but STC would have my head for diving into a watery world without proper authorization and orders." "I see. Do you have a way off world, m'boy?" "Well--" That was when the gate opened full and stable. The scientists on the other side as well as Mitzi and Bunnie were there to beckon us back. "I guess this is goodbye. Sorry we didn't get to meet the whole team." "If the ocean currents have anything to say about it, you will in good time, young Asriel. You will." "Hopefully during peaceful times. Good luck with T-Ray." He waved as we stepped through. Wow. What a whale of a tale...heh. Too many fish puns, not enough time. Nevertheless, it was good to be home. "Hey, guys. Going off on weird adventures without me? For shame. You know it's not a party without the Princess of Little Tokyo." "Sorry Aunt Vi." "Better luck next time, Vi." "Hey, what are you reading?" Asriel asked, tail wagging. "Just the Comic Strip." Vi mused with a smirk. I just knew she was razzing us over some reference we'd probably get later. Sub-Entry 177: "Blabbering Blather-what, Now?": "I didn't think I'd actually have to come out to Duckburg." "But we had to help Uncle Gyro with his work." "Yeah, but I didn't know it would involve a press conference centering around the richest duck in the world." In actually we were away from the press conference, keeping occupied...or rather making sure a certain pilot/chauffer kept out of trouble. "Go fish!" I face-palmed. "Chin up, Volt. You're winning." Gadget assured. "I know it's just that..." "Not as glamourous as you thought?" Asriel asked. "Actually that's not a problem. I just have this nagging feeling that something's gonna go haywire today." "You worry too much." Keeping the nephew trio out of trouble as well as Webbigail Vanderquack was probably not as hard as keeping Launchpad McQuack out of trouble. But at least the card games got better when we were joined by McDuck's accountant, Fenton Crackshell. I wonder if he really needed to carry around that suitcase all the time? Even for card games. "What could possibly go wrong?" Fenton asked when the subject came up again. "D'oh...you jinxed it." I glared. "Eheh..." He tugged at his collar. "Is Gyro done with whatever it is he's doing for Scrooge's press conference?" Skeeter complained. "Exercise patience. Your big bro knows that lesson." "But he ain't here." Skeeter stuck his tongue out. "Seriously. What could possibly happen--" Asriel's phone rang. "Hmm? Howdy, Aunt Vi? What? No. Hmm? Really. Right...whatever you say. Gotta go." He hung up. "What did she want?" I asked. "Some nonsense." "Nonsense?" Asriel's phone rang again. It was Violet again. "Er...whatever. But c'mon...you're being weird." A third ring. It was Vi. And a fourth. Violet again. "Aunt Vi, cut it out. You're being annoying." When it got to be the 9th call...?" "What, Aunt Vi?! What is so important that you have to keep calling me?" I don't think I'd ever seen Azzy lose his temper. But honestly...I did not blame him. What stupidity was Violet cooking up now. "Why is it so important for me to say that out loud?" "Huh?" Gadget cocked her head. "What does he want you to say?" Skeeter asked. By that point Huey, Dewey, and Louie had all gotten borded and went off somewhere else while Webby chased after them. "Some...random nonsense. I mean...who in their right mind..." I had a bad feeling just then. "...says something as ridiculous as..." Oh no. She WOULDN'T!!!!" "Azzy, no!" I spoke too late. "...Blabbering Blatherscype?" I face-palmed right as Fenton's jaw dropped. That was when his briefcase suddenly sprung to life and something bust out of it in a swirl of flying parts...flying...robot parts? I grabbed the phone and shouted into the microphone "WHAT DID YOU DO, VIOLET?!?!?" And no sooner had the array of robotic armor parts emerged, they descended upon Asriel and snapped together around him, piece by piece in mere seconds. "Whoah-whoah-whoah-whoaaaaaaaah!" Asriel fell over as he found it suddenly hard to balance on the single motorized unicycle wheel leading into the suspension of the robotic armor. The stylistic "D" on the chest plate was tell tale and the helmet visor obsured most of his face. "Umm...I think I have explaining to do." "Violet when we get back home, I'm burning your entire Pocky supply and banning you from Crunchroll somehow!" *click* "Don't you hang up on me!!!" "Volt, what just happened?" "Just the coolest thing ever!" Skeeter cackled. "Golly! You look just like a real superhero!" Gadget was missing the point. "Congratulations, Azzy. You just walked face-first into one of Violet's stupid pranks." I deadpanned. Somebody get Gyro over here. We need him to get this armor off of you before something goes wrong--" That was when Fenton's walkie-talkie crackled before Scrooge McDuck's voice rang out. "Fenton! The Beagle Boys are trying to rob me blind! Get off your tailfeathers and get moving! We need Gizmo Duck, now!" His Scottish accent was unmistakable. Fenton nervously answered the call, tugging at his collar. "Yeah, about that, boss. We have a slight problem--" "I d'nnut want to hear about any problems! This is a matter of life and financial death! If I lose even one penny, it's coming out of your salory!" *gulp* "Eheh...my career is sunk..." Fenton hung his head. I sighed. "Asriel, you'll just have to go in his place until we figure out how to get that armor off of you." "But I can't go like this! They'll know I'm not Gizmo Duck!" "Hang on...I think I have a solution!" Gadget rooted around in her backpack and fished out...of all things a fake duck's bill. "Here. Put this on!" She pulled off the helmet and strapped it on over Asriel's mouth then put the helmet back on. "This won't fool anyone!" Asriel said, kinda muffled by the barely moving fake fowl proboscis. "FENTON!" came the angry yell of one Scrooge McDuck. It was him alright. In the feathers and spats. The top hat, the tiny spectacles, the J-shaped cane. He pointed the end of his can at Asriel's fake beak. "There's no time t' waste! Get your can moving!" Fenton wisely thought to hide behind Asriel's towering form. "Uh...right away, boss!" Asriel saluted. "What's wrong with ye' voice?" "Oh uh...*cough* *cough* Just dust in my throat, Mr. McDuck! I'm on the way! *hack hack* Make way for GIZMO DUUUUUCK!" He called out in his best attempt at sounding big, bold, and heroic. Oh boy. "Whoah-whoah-whoaaah!" He flailed his arms as the unicycle wheel speed off with a loud motorcycle roar. "Eep!" Fenton zipped to behind a mailbox. "Hmm?" Scrooge looked at the lot of us. "Well, don't just stand there! Make yourselves useful! I swear...youths today...so idle. Ach, blow me bagpipes, what an age we live in..." Scrooge stormed off. Moments later, Gyro came running up, woefully out of breath. "Uncle Gyro! We have kind of a...tiny-tiny little problem--" Gadget started before I covered her mouth. "Shhh! He doesn't know!" I warned. "Hmm?" She mumbled, muffled. "Nevermind, the problem took care of itself." Gyro scratched his head and shrugged. Little Bulb scampered off Gadget's shoulder and climbed up onto Gyro's shoulder. "We better make sure..uh...Gizmo Duck doesn't have his hands full." I suggested, covering. "Yeah! Let's get those creeps--" Gadget yanked Skeeter back. "I don't think that's such a good idea. We don't want to get in the way. I mean...fighting crime sounds dangerous." "Yeah? Well let's GET dangerous!" "I like this kid's style!" Launchpad charged off. "Reminds me of my favorite TV superhero..." I sweatdropped. He couldn't mean...? Wait a minute...where were the nephew trio and Webby? Oh great...as if things weren't complicated enough... I charged after the group who had already headed toward the bank. Gadget reluctantly followed on her skateboard. "Golly, I have a bad feeling about this..." You and me both, sis. As it turns out...we should learn to trust those bad feelings. "Not another step, coppers, or the brats all get it!" Yup. Typical setp. Kids run off to get a closer look at the action. Get nabbed. Become hostages. "Oh great...it's these three again..." I recognized them from their mugshots. Bouncer Beagle. Big. Mean. Dumb as mud. But the thought of what he could do to any of those kids with just one hand made me shudder. Big enough to hold onto two of the kids at a time. Burger Beagle. Not much smarter. Always eating, hence his name. He had one of the whiney-est sounding voices I'd ever heard. And finally their leader, Big Time Beagle. Small, diminutive, but the smartest of the three and not as easily fooled as his brothers. Granted they didn't actually have guns or weapons or anything but...I still wasn't taking any chances what they might actually do to the kids. "You'll never get away with this!" "Gizmo Duck's comin' to pound you beagle bums into the ground!" "Then Uncle Scrooge is going to have you locked away for a long long time!" "He can try, but we'll get the drop on him this time!" Speak of the not-Devil...or rather his substitute. "Villains! Beware! For I, Gizmo Duck, have arrived to bring you all to justice!" Scrooge facepalmed. "Ach. Did his cheesey dialogue manage to get even cheesier? What kind of comic books is he reading this day and age?" "You know it just occured to me..." Gyro suddenly brought up as the others hustled to arrive on the scene. "I probably should have given Gizmo Duck the revised edition of the Instruction Manual." "What?" I turned to him. "Uncle Gyro, did you make more modifications on his suit again?" "Well...kinda..." "You're so smart! I bet they'll come in great handy!" Good lord...they're both missing the point. Asriel doesn't even known how the PREVIOUS suit versions' gizmos even work. If the instruction manual was as big and thick as the one for Inspector Gadget's gadgets...oh boy... "Okay...think, Azzy...think. How do you solve a hostage situation. You've seen this a ton of times in comic books. Um...try threatening with a show of force? A bit risky and might cause property damage. Um...match their bluster with heroic monologue? That'll only buy me time? Go in guns blazing? No way. That'd risk the nephews' and Webby's lives! C'mon, Asriel. Use that head of yours for something BESIDES separating your floppy ears!" Normally cool and calm Asriel was actually unsure about how to approach this? Oh boy...I can see my worries were starting to become his worries. This is not good. "Do SOMETHING, Asriel!" He grumbled, his eyes turning yellow underneath the visor. "Whoah...what's his eyes doin', Big Time? Did you know he could do that?" "I'm so scared I could eat another dozen hot dogs!" "No way...this guy must really be part machine! A real cyborg!" Big Time was taken aback. "Nyaaaargh! It doesn't matter! We're still not lettin' this mix of household appliances get the drop on us! Ma will never let us here the end of it if we wind up in the slammer again!" "It's now or never, Azzy...take this, evil-doers!" Crap, crap, crap, crap! I about panicked when he randomly pressed buttons-- *SPLAAAT!* Burger went flying backward as Dewey wriggled out of his grasp and tumbled to cover. "What the...?!" Asriel blinked. "Mmm...! Peanut Butter!" Burger licked the mess off of his face as he stuck to the brick wall. "Got any grape jelly?" I slooooow-turned to Gyro. "A peanut butter...cannon?" "Talk about your sticky situations!" Azzy joked as he put his knuckles to his hips and laughed toward the sky. "Ugh...he is getting worse at this..." I facepalmed. "You ain't never gettin' the drop on me!" Bouncer lifted Huey and Louie up to use as shields. "Coward! And such attrocious language! We have rules about double-negatives in a little thing called grammar! A miscreant such as you needs too...clean up his act!" Asriel pointed an arm and it reshaped into a mini-gun looking cannon...and then the air was filled with-- *GLURRRP!* Bouncer's eyes bugged out as he about gagged and choked...before spitting out the bars of soap he had about inhaled. "Let that be a lesson that...fowl lanuage will not be allowed in our fair city!" The puns...were starting to hurt. "Nice!" Skeeter gave a thumbs up as Gadget giggled. Bouncer dropped the kids as he tried in vain to wipe the soap off his tongue with both gloved hands. As he hollered from the nauseating taste, he spat out clouds of soap suds. "Hmm...he's doing a better job than usual. Normally he would have just goofed up by now and be trying to recover. There might be hope for that lad, yet." Scrooge pondered. "Alright, Beagle Boy. It's just you and me. Leave Web...er...leave the little girl out of it!" "Nice save, Az. You almost let him know she's a friend of yours." That would have been a bad move. "Yer' crazy, tin man! I'm not giving up my hostage, so back off or else!" "Uh...think, Azzy......OR ELSE WHAT, VILLAIN?" "D'ooh...uh...dangit...uh...uh...!" Big Time didn't have a plan? This could work. "Yeah! Or else what, you big meany!" Webby whapped him across the face with her Quacky-Patch doll. "Oooh! You little brat!" "Now!" Asriel's chest plate opened and a lasso snared out and nabbed Webby, yanking her out of his grasp. "You're safe now, young citizen! Now get to safety, quickly!" "Thank you, Mr. Gizmo Duck!" She hurried off to Scrooge and the nephews, who quickly embraced. "M'boys! I thought I'd lost you!" Asriel clicked on another switch. "And now to finish you off!" "W-w-wait! We can talk this over! D-don't do anything rash!" "Crime in this city stinks and you, sir, are no exception!" A hatch in his back opened up and a mechanical, gloved arm yanked out...of all things...a live skunk. The hand rolled it up into its tail like a ball before pitching it right at Big Time. "No, no, no! Not thaaaaaat!" *KA-BAAAAAMF!!!* "Ewwwwww!" A disgust fell over the onlooking crowd as well as all of us as we pinched our noses, snouts, and bills shut. "Peeeyeeeeeeew!" "GAAAAAAAH!!!!" Big Time wailed as his ran around in circles, the visible trail following him. Not to mention the skunk perched on his head. From an old TV set in a shack on the outskirts of town... "Blasted contraption. Always cutting out at the worst times." Ma Beagle poundd the machine before the image cleared up. "...and authorities were on the scene to give a big thank-you to Gizmo Duck, who single handed captured three members of the infamous Beagle Boys crime family. "You lousy mugs! You went and disappointed your poor mother again! After all I stole just to raise you be dishonest citizens! You can spend some time out in the pokey, thinking about what you've done!" Back at the Bank, when the croud finally dispursed and the nephews and Webby were quickly taken back to McDuck Manor... "I d'know how ye did it, Fenton m'boy but you've really earned your keep this day." Scrooge shook Asriel's hand. "Gee, boss! You mean it!" Fento had unrealizingly stepped out from behind the mailbox. "Fenton?!" "Uh...hi ya, boss." "But if you're Fenton...then who in blazes are you?" Asriel sheepishly pulled the helmet off and the beak. "I...have explaining to do...it's kind of a long story..." Violet grinned a she was suddenly next to me. "One I can't wait to put on the internet--" *THWAP* Sorry. But I wasn't holding back. "Oww. Totally worth it." So after an explaination later... Gyro caught up to us. "Wait...this is Gizmo Duck? But...this doesn't make sense...he's not even a duck..." "Uh..!" Asriel stammered. "Of course he's not Gizmo Duck. Uh--" "The real Gizmo Duck was...indisposed so he asked this young man to fill in for him until he could get out of a tight spot. He'll be around later to collect his Gizmo Suit." Gadget said, hurriedly. "Oh. Well that makes sense." He bought it; hook, line and sinker. "Uh! Yeah!" I agreed. "Nice cover, little sis." I whispered to Gadget. "Well. I was considering renegotiating your salory, but after this mishap, I'm beginning to think I'm payin' ye too much..." Scrooge glowered at Fenton. "Oh boy..." Violet grinned as she looked to Gyro. "So. Gyro. How's that Barxian Modulator coming? I think you should pattern it using samples of Don Cheadle" "How...did you know about that, Violet?" "Violet..." I tightened my fist. *THWAP* "Ow...uh...hey, Bunnie. Where'd you come from?" And thus Violet was dragged off by the ear. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Okay, maybe that was a bad move, but you have to admit, Azzy earned his stripes ! Ow! Ow! Ow! Can we talk...?!" She protested in her most convincing Joan Rivers voice impression. "So..how do I get this suit off of me? It doesn't belong to me and I can't be Gizmo Duck forever." "Well that's easy. The real Gizmo Duck only needs to use his secret codeword and the suit will return to its proper user." "Wait...that's it? All he has to do is say B--" I covered Asriel's mouth. "Eheheh...yeah, we get it. Keep it SECRET, Asriel." I cautioned. "Eheheh...right." He slipped on the helmet. After Gyro headed off to spend some time with Gadget as her adoptive uncle...and we made sure the coast was clear save for us, Scrooge McDuck and Fenton... "Blabbering Blatherscype!" And a changing of the guard's clothes... "I can't apologize enough, Mr. Crackshell." Asriel rubbed the back of his neck. "You have nothing to apologize for, Asriel. If anything, you probably saved his job." "I thank you, good citizen to stepping into my boots...er...unicycle and stepping up when the city needed a hero. But from now on, leave the crimefighting to the professionals!" Fenton boomed in a surprisingly impressive superhero voice. "You can count on me...Gizmo Duck. Your secret's safe with us." "Well at least this whole mess is wrapped up--" That was when a conspicuous yellow sea plane landed in the harbor with a splash and out stepped the pilot--a bear in a cap and delivery uniform. The logos read "Higher for Hire". "Package for Violet Tokugawa." "She uh...went that way. You can catch her if you hurry." Asriel directed the delivery bear. "Thanks." Goddammit, Vi... "So now she's getting deliveries from Cape Suzette? This can't possibly--" *BAMF* "Please tell me that's one of Bunnie's entrances..." "The smoke cloud isn't pink." "I was afraid of that... "I am the Terror that flaps in the Night! I am the taxman who comes to audit your equity! I am the itch that scratches back! I am...DARKWING--" End transmission, already. "Oh wow! It's my favorite TV hero in person!" Launchpad quipped as I tried overriding STC's logging systems. Sub-Entry 178: "Lot's O'Luck From Bear To a Fox": I'd learned not to criticize when some of the others offered to take Asriel on endevours that previous decades would criticize for gender confusion. I could remember a time when if a boy was caught having anything to do with the likes of Jem and the Holograms, Rainbow Brite, or yes...My Little Pony...they'd be ostracised for life. My how times change for the better. I was glad that Asriel was a Brony. He and Sally both favored Rainbow Dash. Bunnie kinda liked Applejack. Gadget was a Fluttershy fan. I admit...I kinda had a soft spot for MLP original from back in the 80's. Yeah. I'd recently seen the pilot episode on movie night. It made me wonder...what was the big deal about gender back then? Nowadays? It was all about unisex. If a girl wanted to drive a stock car, let her grow up to do so. If a boy wanted to be a nurse, it could happen. But I'm not about to turn this into a preachy opus advocating the pros of letting kids follow their dreams. Things were going on in the square as always. At Rock-Afire Pizza in particular... "...No, lassie. For the last time I'm not THAT Foxy." After a bit of arguing back an forth, Foxy finally invoked her Hybrid Ability... There was the sound of glass cracking followed by an "Aww, man! I broke my phone." Followed up by... "Aww man! I dropped my phone in the toilet--" *CALL ENDED* "Ye be lucky, Mitzi lass. You've fallen off the fame bandwagon. Ever since that infernal Five Nights at Freddy's series begain, people have been confusing me with that blasted animatron Hell beast. I swear there are banshees that can give a girl less traumatizing nightmares than that abomination." "Sorry, Foxy. I can say I know how it is, but I wouldn't be telling the truth. I can at least support you, old friend." "That makes m'day it does." Foxy took a break from behind the counter and let Mitzi take over. She had a seat at the bar and slipped her sandals off. "Ahhhk. M'dogs be barkin' they be. A thousand Highland curses on the wench who cursed me with such a run of bad luck lately." "But your luck is always good. After all, it's like you told me. You make your own luck. In your case, literally." "I know, lass. It just gets to me after a while. I haven't been this worked up since I found a pair of long johns in the old soup kettle." "Old Irish trick, huh?" "Y'better bet the pub on it, cause' you're exactly right." "Still a better life than my ex made for you." "Too true." Foxy looked on as Asriel fixed her a homemade "Shamrock Shake"...like at that certain restaurant chain every St. Patrick's Day-- "RON RON RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!" Violet hollered into the Pizzaria moments before Bunnie yanked her out by the ear. "Oww!!!" UCIAT is gonna get letters...somehow. And most of them will probably read "you've been served". Joy. Anyone know Phoenix Wright's number? That said... "It's hard. I think what I need is some kind of pick-me up." "C'mon, Foxy. Let's take five and get some air. I just put a couple patio sets outside for summer. "It might do me a lick o' good, it might." Asriel handed Foxy her green mikshake and joined the group, tossing his apron asside. "Maybe we need a change of pace. How about a back-to-back of Moonwalker and Captain EO?" "I'd like that!" Mitzi's eyes brightened. Still a Michael Jackson fan. "Maybe." Foxy seemed unsure. "I appologize for not being more into it. I guess with the way things are, there's so much stress that it's just hard to care..." Care. Something about that word struck a chord somehow. It was familiar. LIke from an age long past. I knew a place where caring was everything. Where was it again? Another sigh from Foxy broke up the silence. And that was when it happened. Asriel noticed it first. "Um...that cloud is...moving." "Well, yes. Clouds move." I had been out at the patio table all this time, waiting for Asriel to finish his part time shift. "Yeah, but in the cardinal directions--east, west, north, and south. They're not supposed to move downward." "What...?" Foxy looked up. Sure enough a puffy white cloud was getting closer...and as it got closer I noticed...it looked like it was in the shape of a convertable car of sorts...a car small enough to seat only the driver and one passenger. A cloud car? Wait... As it got closer I saw something...familiar. It looked like...a teddy bear...but life-sized...and green furred...and moving? It was alive? It was coming back to me now. I felt myself doing that famliar countdown...5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1... "Ohh!" "Hey, Foxy! I thought you could use a bit of a luck boost!" And it spoke? "Bless me soul...it is you...!" "Volt...what...or who is that?" "That's Good Luck Bear I knew it! It is a Care Bear!" "A Care Bear?" "You would have liked them, Azzy. A set of walking, talking, magical teddy bears in the colors of the rainbow, safeguarding the world from bad feelings, sadness, and trouble." The 80's were coming back with a vengeance. "I bet I would have. His fur's a pretty shade of green." "But if their name is Good Luck Bear, why do you keep calling them Lots O'Luck?" "When I was just a wee child...when we first met, I guessed guessed his name before he could introduce himself. And it kinda stuck as a nickname since then." Foxy explained. It was when L.O.L. ...oh gods, I'm going to get hounded by Violet over this. It's when they hopped out and I could see the emblem on their belly. A four-leaf clover. The luckiest of the lucky charms. "Lucky the Leprechaun says hi, by the way." It figures. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised either way if that was a joke or absolutely true. A bit of an awkward silence before Asriel cleared his throat. "Oh, where are my manners? Lots O'Luck, this is--" "Volt Arcade and Asriel Dreemurr. Pleased to meet you both." "You know our names?" Asriel scratched his head. "It's kinda complicated. You know the expression "guardian angel"? Well granted that can apply to Pit, but...not the point..." I just felt like there was a thought going through Asriel's head to the effect of...are there a race of living teddy bears watching us all from some place in the sky? Creepy! But oddly enough that wasn't what he was thinking. "So you're some kind of peacekeepers, right?" I decided to help chip in my two coppers. "Well the Care Bears go back well into the annals of history. We have conflicting origin stories stored on file at STC but for the most part all tellings speak of the fabled kingdom in the clouds known as Care-a-Lot." "Oh! Is it like a pun on Camelot?" Asriel's tail was practically wagging. He was taking this...pretty darn well. If anything...I was getting the same vibe he had when he was 10 and our world was new to him. Bright. Optimistic. Seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses. I suppose that was probably the what one probably should feel in the presence of Care Bears. I explained about the concept of a race of intelligent teddy bear like creatures that had existed as the custodians of love, peace, morality, and just overall ensuring people cared. I mean...it was in their names. Asriel drew more interest when I mentioned each care bear had a different trait and fur color. Like how Grumpy Bear was blue and tended to help people who were grumpy. Sunshine Bear was yellow and well...just a ray of sunshine. And others like Cheer Bear, Wish Bear, Tenderheart Bear and so on. And that only scratched the surface when I got to the Care Bear Cousins. "You mean there's not just bears? There are other animal beings as well?" Oh where to begin? Braveheart Lion? Swiftheart Rabbit? Lots-o-Heart Elephant? A bit of conversation later... "How come ye' came down to visit now of all times, m'friend?" "You seem to be having a spot of bad luck, lately, Foxy. So I'm here to see if I can help turn it around." Makes sense. But I wonder how exactly Good Luck could help? "Hmm? What's this..." Good Luck squinted. "What's what? I don't see anything." Asriel shrugged as did Foxy. The look the Care Bear had and how I followed the movement of his...her......okay I couldn't tell what gender Good Luck was...I digress......it suggested almost like something was tethered to Foxy. But...there was nothing there. Wait a minute...Foxy clearly said "he" and "him". Okay. Good Luck Bear was male. I'm getting as scatterbrained as Gadget. But that wasn't important. They further confirmed my suspicions as they seemed to be grabbing onto and following some kind of invisible rope. "Hmmmm..." The green-furred bear looked pensive as they followed the...something out the door. "Well. I guess we go after them." I shrugged. Asriel was already out the doorway. Reluctantly Foxy followed. Strangely enough it didn't seem like the invisible tether was gaining any slack as she tried catching up to Good Luck and following it back to the source. A bit of following him/her/them around town lead us to a secluded part of the slum area until we found ourselves pretty much isolated from anyone. "I thought so." Good Luck muttered as they peered around the corner. "Hmm?" Asriel stole a glance then ducked back around with kind of a pensive if not sour look. "I see them." "Them?" I looked around the corner. "Them who?" "You mean you can't see them?" Asriel cocked his head. "See who?" Foxy stole a glance. "I guess only magical creatures can see them." "Or creatures who used to be magical." Asriel shrugged. "Maybe I still have a spark left over?" Maybe. Then again...I still didn't know what that "vessel" of the seven virtues could do besides change his eye color. "No-Heart's at it again." Good Luck grumbled. "Who?" Asriel asked. This was something I actually knew. "A several-hundred-year old wizard...warlock...well...shadowy figure is accurate enough. But he lives up to his name. A villain who's tried to create a world overflowing with negative feelings. He's been known to employ a bumbling, barefoot hairball named Mr. Beastly as well as his own niece, a brat named Shreeky--stay away from her when she screams, by the way." "Oh. One of those Ultimate Evil types." Asriel crossed his arms. "He employs hundres of minions called the Sinister Shadows...and I'm guessing that's what you and Asriel see gathered over there." "Yes. They must've learned a new trick, because they've managed to snag lots and lots of people with some kind of tethers that are attacking their greatest strengths." "Like my luck." Foxy reasoned. "Why my powers have been off, too." "So how do we get rid of them." "Leave that to me. But I'm going to need help." Good Luck's cloud car had suddenly appeared again. They reached in and grabbed what looked like a C.B. Radio microphone and placed a call back to Care-a-Lot. And before we knew it we had a few more colorful faces joining us. "Love-a-Lot Bear. Friend Bear. Cheer Bear. Birthday Bear. Tenderheart Bear. Wish Bear." Good Luck sure got a lot of backup in a short time. Did there really need to be this many to take care of the Sininster Shadows? Just how many of them were there? "So...what now?" Asriel whispered. "Just watch. You're gonna love this." I mused. "You notice those tummy symbols of theirs?" "Yeah, each is kinda unique and pretty tell-tale of their name and identity." Asriel followed. "We prefer to think of them as belly badges." Good Luck mused as he and the others got in position in a line. Like a showdown at the O.K. Coral. "Care Bears Stare on my mark! Three...two...one! STARE!" "Stare?" Asriel raised an eyebrow. At that precise moment, each of their "belly badges" or tummy symbols...whatever...lit up...and out poured a bright stream of light! Each like a different fragment of a rainbow. The effect was like turning a firehose on an unsuspecting victim! In the wash of virtues personified in photon form, I could actually see the Sinisters Shadows become visible. And just as quickly as it ended, the entities fled to parts unknown, barely holding together by this point. At the rate of decay, I was sure they would completely dissipate before reaching their master. "You're right, Volt. I loved that!" Asriel was attracted to colorful and rainbow-ish things to this day. "The tethers are gone. Feel any better, Foxy?" "Well...I s'ppose so. But I guess I'll have to put it to the test." The bears all packed up and headed off to Care-a-Lot. "Foxy!" Came the cry of a child. "Oh no...I'm still cursed..." Foxy started to groan as she turned around. "It really is you!" "I d'n't want to disappoint you, lass, but I'm not the character from Five Nights At Freddy's--" "I know! I don't care about that jump-scare stuff. You're Foxy from the Pizza Time Players right? My mommy told me about you! You were a big deal back at the end of the 1970's!" At that Foxy cracked a smile. "Looks like your luck is changing for the better." Asriel smiled. "Well..ye don't mind if an ex-star spends the day with you. I'd love meetin' your mum." "Would you really?" "I always love reconnecting with long-time fans..." And so we let Foxy enjoy her day while Mitzi gladly finished her shift for her. Sometimes a little luck goes a long way. Sub-Entry 179: "Assistant Teaching at Gravedale High": There's something to be said about the chances of something--be it people, places, or even themes or tropes that come in pairs. Generally that's when you consider it a coincidence. When it happens more that that you see a pattern. But until then, it is what it is. I'm getting off track. Let's get to the point shall we? When Azzy and I went on our dimension-hopping quartet of worlds earlier in this month, I suppose it should be said I didn't really go into much detail with Camp Mini-Mon. I blame myself, really for being too off-balance to properly log details which S.T.C. would get after me later. But you know. Life has a way of making a particular theme come back like a boomerang. By this point Asriel had embraced being a hybrid over an ex-monster for five years. But he still had a fascination and kinship with monsters; even variants and offspring of Classic (Universal) Movie Monsters. This wasn't our first nor our last clash with such a group of monsters or their kin. In the past we'd visited Camp Mini-Mon. A couple years prior, one of Azzy's earliest off world adventures after bringing him to New York and later Hill Valley included crossing paths with the Ghoulies (Get Together)...an interesting and campy AU take on Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man among others. And future visits would haeve us crossing paths with everything from Monster Force to Monster Squad...which I might add Jon would never live down after Violet wouldn't stop reminding him of one simple fact... "Wolf Man's got naaaaaards!" Jon crushed his submarine sandwich as he cringed. "VIOLEEEEEEET!" He chased after her on all fours as she flew away with the power of her jet pack. "Ugh. Grow up, you two." I muttered as I picked up my stack of books and folders and such and headed to the warp gate. "Wait up!" Asriel hurried in. "Asriel...as if I'd ever leave without you." "I know it's just that...I'm eager to help you substitute teach at a high school." "Ah. Ready for academia closer to your own age?" "Yeah...I think Camp Candy cured me of any aspirations to become a camp councelor on a permanent basis." "Well. Don't worry. I'm sure high schoolers will be easier to handle. Besides, you're pretty much one yourself. Technically we could probably skip you straight to college with your grades." "What is it you tell me about no shortcuts in life?" Asriel said with a sweatdrop. "Touche, Azzy. Pulling a reversal like that." I mused. "It's not that...I just don't want to miss out on life's experiences before I'm ready for college. And high school's a big part of that." "Slow and steady, eh, buddy-boy?" "Slow and steady." Asriel said as his eyes lit up that familiar cyan color. Patience virtue. I'd almost forgotten about that unique power of his over the seven virtues. And yet...there was this gnawing feeling like...there was more to those seven powers that I wasn't seeing. I mean...yeah I get how they influence Asriel's thinking; his mentality, behavior, emotions, and such...but what was the REAL purpose of that "vessel" he had gotten along with Frisk's code? I'd had this thought cross my mind more than once. I couldn't help but feel, this was just the beginning. Plus there was that other issue that was lying dormant...waiting for his chance to even the score. As things were...Asriel had no idea. I was keeping secrets from him again. Dammit all. "Hey. You spaced out for a bit. We heading in?" "Yeah. Sorry. Had a bit of a moment of deep thought." "Whatever it is, it can wait. I'm pretty sure teachers get in as much trouble as students for being tardy." "True. Very true." We stepped through and... "Creepy. I'm getting a real CastleVania vibe." Asriel commented as the thunder cracked and the lightning flashed in the overcast sky. Oh yeah. This place was for real, yo. "So tell me more about this?" "Welcome to Gravedale High. Cozy if you're into--" "Ghostbusters meets the Monster Squad?" "...should have known Violet talked to you first." "Sorry. She's making a movie buff out out me." "You're developing the same quirk of namedropping nostalgic references by reflex as I am. And the same quirk Violet does for the LOL's." "Better LOL's then LULZ." "True. It's a rare thing when someone as chaotic as her actually goes AGAINST Madam Fate's plans. Kid the Cat is another such chaos causer that rebels against her plans. It really ticks her off when chaos is used for good." "This is the most you've told me about these goddesses that your immortality contract comes from." "Yeah...you'll find out about them sooner or later so...in little bits, little man. In little bits." "That diversion asside...who's this teacher we're helping out?" "His name's Max Schneider." "He's not related to Reinhardt Schneider, is he?" "Two CastleVania references in a row, Azzy?" "Might as well get proficient if I'm going to be exploring these worlds some day?" "Getting ahead of yourself, aren't we? Well...you're not wrong. But I think you're downplaying the nostalgic references. Heck for you, they're not even nostalgic. You haven't lived through them like we have. if anything they're as much modern pop culture as--" "Yeah. I read you. Like Violet's gaming sessions on Fortnite." "You're doing it again." "Sorry." "So will we actually be meeting this guy?" "Yeah." "Seeing as how you didn't tell me to use the Unitrix and you didn't demorph, I surmise we won't stick out much on this world." "You are correct. We won't...but Max kinda does." "Human?" "Human." A brief smirk from Asriel. I think his appreciation and understanding of humans had definitely matured as has he. Azzy had to find it just as ironic as I did when we weren't the minorities on certain worlds. But on the same note, that was a double-edged sword. It reminded him of Chara...of the Pandora's Box that they had opened together. That was all he needed to remember for that smirk to fade. "Hey. I know. Don't dwell on it. We're both older and wiser. Neither of us will make the same mistakes we have in the past." "Yeah..." Asriel nodded. "...but...what mistakes did you make with humans, Volt?" "You already know the answer to that." "Oh. Yeah. I guess...we both know the word orphan so well. For different reasons...but we share the same pain." This conversation had really escalated from small talk to some pretty deep issues that neither of us had really put to rest. "Hey We're here now." I snapped us both out of it. We had ventured far from the nearby Midtown. "I can sense it, Volt. You've got this expression that suggests we're in for a real Welcome Back, Kotter experience." "Asriel, it's starting to surprise me less and less that you know references as old or older than my apparant age. But it still amazes me how perceptive you are." I said as I unrolled the scroll containing the class roster. "So. What kind of unruly class are we up against?" "You ever see Happy Days?" "That doesn't sound so bad." "Now ram it together with Welcome Back Kotter, and add a lot of Monster Squad and see what you get in your mind." "Oooh. This will be an interesting combination." Asriel shrugged as we navigated the hallways. "Erf." I sputtered a bit after walking face first into a spider web. "Arachnophobia?" Asriel asked. "Not so much." I replied. Okay, kind of a half truth. I just know somewhere in the Underground a greedy ararchnid just sneezed. Laugh it up, Muffet. Laugh it up. "Just run through the list. I'm sure first impressions will tell us the rest we need to know." I cleared my throat. "Okay. Let's start with the top. Vinnie Stoker." "Sounds like a vampire if I ever heard a name like that." "A home-run, Azzy. The notes say he's a bit of a greaser. Noted for having a lack of interest in academia and more interest in what's...and I quote..."cool"." "Got it. We have our Fonz archetype." Oddly I was getting Sans vibes, as well. Mostly from the supposed laziness. "Frankentyke. No last name given. Small and young-looking compared to his peers but assumed to be the same apparent age. Kind of the antithesis of the giant hulking corpse brought to life by a bolt of lightning." "So...one part Bart Simpson and one part Frankenstein's monster, made pint sized." It was unsaid but I'm pretty sure Asriel figured out as quick as I did that corpse monsters usually don't come with corpse parents. They're usually assembled by mad scientists. And mad scientists tended to usually be human according to Movie Monster logic. "Reggie Moonshroud." "That's a werewolf name." "Totally. Straight-A student but socially awkward." "Yup. Where there's a Fonz, there's a Ritchie Cunningham. Right?" "That's three and zero, Azzy. If this were soccer, you just scored a hat-trick." I continued on. "J.P. Gastly III. Monster classification unknown. Archetype seems to be gnomish with blue skin tone. Note say he's like a monster version of Peter Lorre." "I actually don't know who that is...but I'm guessing by your tone he's probably stuck-up." "Can't judge the book until you read it." I shrugged. "Gill Waterman." "Let me guess. Creature from the Black Lagoon. Surfer personality?" "Are you psychic or what?" "No, but my mom is." "Cleofatra." "You mean Cleopatra." "No. Prounounced as spelled." "Ohhhh. I'm just not going to touch this one." "Yeah...leave a woman's weight out of it. Seems to be bookworm-ish." Onward with the classroom roster. "Sid. ...another with no last name." "What's his monster archetype?" "Um...invisible man. And apparently the class clown with about a million voice impressions." "Makes as much sense as anything else." "Blanche....jeeze do any of the remaining class have last names?" "Blanche...a zombie?" "You pick up on these eeriely too well." "Monsters know monsters." Asriel shrugged. "Or ex-monsters." "Says she's a Southern Belle with a shopping addiction...oh I get it...mall zombie. Clever." Asriel snickered. "And...Duzer. Um...not sure what kind of name it is but says...she's listed as a gorgon." "Think about it. Duzer...as in Medusa." "Oh. How'd I miss that? Her profile says she's a Valley Girl archetype with a bit of a bitter personality. The notes say she's been quoted as saying "GET A LIFE!" any time someone annoys her." "Hah. That's an ironic thing to say in a place like Gravedale." Keen observation, Azzy. "Well, we're here." I opened the door. "Mr. Schneider?" "That's right. You must be Dr. Arcade." Human teacher. Late 30's to early 40's. Slight frame and very thin physique. In a way...he reminded me of Odie in terms of demeanor. I could tell he really cared about teaching and he was very proud of being a teacher. I could sense his determination. He really believed he could make a difference. Plain preppy buisiness suit attire with a polka-dotted bowtie and thick, dark hornrimmed glasses. Wavey auburn hair and warm brown eyes. I could describe my impression of him as a guy who was "quirky but steady". Friendly. Open-minded. A hard-worker. Yeah...I liked him already. But Asriel saw something else. "Volt...do you see what I see?" Asriel whispered. You know it's funny Asriel mentioned Rick Morranis' name earlier in the week... Or maybe Lady Destiny was having a quirky moment of irony running its course. "Doesn't he look like Rick Morranis?" "Asriel, shhh!" I shushed. "Class, settle down. Your undivideded attention if you please." Max took a moment to push Vinnie Stoker's Itallian boots off the top of his desk. "Yo! Watch the shine, teach. Not cool." Oh yeah. Vinnie definitely sounded like the Fonz. Whatever image you got of a vampire version of Arthur Fonzarelli was probably dead accurate. It was about that time a spitball headed toward me....! But to its sender's surprise, Asriel's index and middle fingers snapped around it like scissors closing shut, stopping it moments before it hit my snout. "I believe this belongs to you." He said flatly before flicking it back and nailing Frankentyke right in the forehead. "Gross, man!" Booker? From U.S. Acres? Seriously...there was something very...Frank Welker about this brat. "It's an honor to meet you, Dr. Arcade. I've read up on a lot of your theories on electrolythic matter-energy conversion. I'd be honored if you'd let me pick your brain over a number of observations I've made regarding the nanoelectronic matrix you designed." Reggie pushed his glasses up his cold wet nose. Furry and nerdy. Yeah, I could see myself in him, once upon a time. I felt my ego swell a little that someone was that familiar with the E.N.G.I.N.E. system. "By all means. But after class." I wonder if there was any truth to the rumor that he shed a lot when he was nervous. Asriel scratched his head. "What...80's Donatello?" I thought I heard him mutter. You know now that I think about it, he did kinda sound like Jake Clawson. And Rob Simmons. And probably others that I had encountered. As Max Schneider explained Asriel and my role here at Gravedale High, I got to know the rest of the students in short order. "J.P. Morgan the Third. Charmed, I'm sure." "Well, yes I--" "I meant you. I come from a very prestigeous family so, I'm sure you can't help but be in awe of our greatness. You're looking at the future richest monster in the world." Oh boy. Did we compare him to Peter Lorre? I was beginning to think more Marlon Brando doing an Igor impression. "Hey, goat dude. You like surf and stuff?" Gill asked in between drumming on his desk with an actualy pair of drumsticks. "I skateboard. But I know someone who surfs." "Radical! We should totally hook up and catch some waves." Yup. Send over Bill and Ted then Wayne and Garth. We'd have surfer cliches for years to come. Cleofatra shyly attempted (key word "attempted") to flirt with Asriel. He was...er...flattered...I think? Both of us took a shine to Sid. By the time we moved on to the next person to talk to, we had been through a dozen impressions, skits, and puns. Oh yeah...if cell phones existed on this world, we'd so put him on speed dial. Blanche, as it turned out was quite the shoppaholic. I had to wonder if it was true just HOW many credit cards she's maxed out. She hit all the Southern Belle cliches in short order, even saying quote that she "Always depended on the kindness of monsters". While I wanted to take a shine to her...I also got an underlying vibe of her being materialistic. Which was further founded when she mentioned that she and J.P. were dating. Oh yeah. She was in it for the money. Note to self...keep her away from Violet. Which left Duzer...who Asriel and I both learned to avoid. And not just because of her petrifying stare when she was irked. It didn't take long for the dreaded-- "GET A LIFE!" Yeah. Vain. Competitive. Bossy. LIkes to be the center of attention. Again...do not let her meet Violet. Also, it was obvious she had an unrequited crush on Vinne which she vehemitedly denied. Over the course of the week we were introduced to other students and faculty. Some we were glad to meet. Others... "...I think my flesh is crawling underneath my fur." I uttered as I wasted no time in getting Asriel and myself away from Coach Cadaver. "I haven't heard so much vocal hatred for humans since Chara warned me about her own kind." "I think I can still feel Headmistress Crone's hand on my throat." "While it was or wasn't attached to her arm?" "Does it matter?" I swallowed hard. "I think we should probably go out to eat on our lunch break." "Solid advice for a cafeteria worker named Sal Monella..." Asriel looked a little green. Over the course of our duty over a week or two, we had plenty of adventures. From a mishap with Monster Gumbo (with ingredients best left unsaid to the world of the living.) to Frankentyke passing off a recently animated corpse with the brain of a Hollywood Agent as his dad. Oh boy. And things accelerated further with Vinnie winning the student body president election (when he never wanted to win in the first place) as an effort to pass Civics class which ultimately culminated into saving the school from a greedy hotel tycoon wanting to demolish it, all the way to a wrongfully convicted Reggie Moonshroud being the victim of accident victim fraud that landed everyone in jail...yeah...what a ride. "I have a whole new appreciation for teaching, Volt." "Yeah...I learned the same lessons under Garfield and Odie when it was my turn to job shadow a teaching position when I was making up my mind over my future and career for a day job parallel to my position in UCIAT." "So...?" "Yeah. I think we got teaching out of our system for a while." I agreed. We headed off to the warp zone. Suddenly Asriel's hand snapped up and snagged the spitwad before it tagged me in the back of the head. "Nice reflexes, Azzy." "I have sensei to thank." A pick and flick... "AW MAAAAAN!" Heh. Some things never change. Sub-Entry 180: "Batteries Not Included...Again": Miranda Power & Light. I didn't found it but I was instrumental in getting it off the ground when UCIAT arrived so many decades ago to rebuild the kingdom after the Ekris War. Since then I was still known as a veteran electrician around those parts. So it only made sense that every so often, they'd call me in to do a favor when they had the tough, dangerous, or...unusual jobs maintenancing the city power grid. I had to wonder what qualified for me to be sent out to a rent-controlled apartment building in the slums. All I was told was its electrical demand had suddenly become...insane. "Hey. Got room for a ride-along?" Asriel peeked into the passenger side door of the cherrypicker. "Sure. Glad you're showing interest in electricity, Azzy." "I'm always interested in what you're up to, best friend." "Oh you. You're too good for me, you know that?" "But if I weren't you wouldn't be too good for me, y'know?" "Let's agree to disagree and say we're too good for each other but we're stuck with each other." I mused with deliberate insincerity. We both laughed at how terrible we were being. "Okay, okay. Kidding aside. Let's roll." I said as he hopped in and shut the door. So off we drove to said location. According to the power company, the call came from one of the tennants in the apartment/cafe building in East Village--a property that had long been fought for to stay out of the grasp of nearby property development. It had been under the thumb of a development manater named Lacey who put the whole building under siege thanks to a deal with a local hoodlam gang led by a thug named Carlos. I was surprised the old couple--Frank and Faye Riley--were still living there. Not to mention a number of other tenants like the artist, Mason Baylor; the single expecting mother, Marisa Estevel; and the retired boxer, Harry Noble--a man suffering from so much head trauma that he never spoke except in rare quips from television, such as the old General Electric slogan. I felt sorry for Faye. She was suffering from growing demential and was in total denial over her and Frank's late son, Bobby; convinced that Carlos was said son due to the uncanny resemblance; a problem which only compounded issues. "You have that look again, Volt. The look of someone remembering. A lot of past history in that building?" "Yeah...the kind of past history that wore at me over time and eventually caused to me to stop paying attention to the affairs of other people that I felt was none of my business." "That's kinda of a depressing life philosophy." "I know...the S.T.C. Council also had a pretty big hand in that. It's why for the longest time, before KOMMAND snapped me out of it, that I blinding followed their orders like some sort of robot Secret Service agent." "There's nothing wrong with empathizing. Even strangers are still people like us. We just don't know them, yet." "There's that cinnamon roll in you, Azzy. I knew there was a reason we're best friends." I was being sly. Well. Here was the place. *sniff sniff* "Hmm?" I caught the smell over burning insulation and the scent of an electric current flow far stronger than what I was prepared for. I knitted my eyebrows. "Volt?" "Better put on your gloves, hard hat, insulated padding, and goggles, Azzy. This isn't a normal house call." I hurried in and headed down to the basement...and dropped both my tool kit...and my jaw. "Volt, what is it? What are you aghast like that. What are you pointing at the kilowatt meters--" He broke off in mid sentence. "That's...not normal is it?" I didn't answer. "Those...aren't supposed to spin even close to that fast, are they?" Forget kilowatts and megawatts per hour...the energy usage I was seeing was crossing over the border separating gigawatts. And there was no way the power grid should be allowing this much energy to be drawn at a time. Where was it all going?! It was dusk before we left where I picked Asriel up and it was dark by now. "Huh?" Asriel headed back up the steps when he heard commotion outside. Once outside... "Uh...Volt...you better have a look at this!" He called back down. I headed up the stairs and bust out of the building...when I saw it. Every room in the building was flickering on and off in rapid, random succession from the unstable power surges and brownouts encompassing the whole building. "Ohhhh boy. This may be out of my pay grade." I muttered. That was when I noticed the scent of ozone was strongest coming from...the roof? "Azzy." He nodded as we headed up the fire escape. I skidded to a stop when I recognized the whole crowd of tenants that I had previously recalled. But that wasn't the thing of interest. "Oh my gods...I should have known it was them!" "Them?" "The little guys...the uh...what do you call them? The robots, right? They're drones, they're autogyros, they're--" "They're space ships!" Frank cut in, harshly. "From a...small planet...a really...small planet." Yeah, that must've sounded as weird to him as it did to us. But yeah...that was the size of it. Sentient miniature space ships from another world. "The Fix-Its are back." I set my tool box down as I watched the mess of wiring go toward the female-ish one. Sparks sputtering from the haphazard connections it had mad to itself with the building's wiring. "And she's expecting again." "Expecting?" Asriel was flabberghasted. "You're about to see what's sort of a divine miracle--" *SNAP* At the worst possible time the building blacked out. "The fuses! She blew the fuses!" Frank got out before I could chime in. We both hurried to the basement. He threw open the door to the fuse box and yelped upon trying to yank out the blown fuses. "Easy. I got this." I magnetically yanked them out by the metal contact shells. The glass on them had actually started to melt and the metal was white hot. "No time to worry about proper electrical safety." Asriel frowned as he grabbed a garden trowel and shoved it between the contacts with a spray of sparks, as the building lit up again. "No, no, no...not again. This happened once before--" I uttered as I dragged Asriel back up the steps. But the miracle had already happened. A small fleet of..well...newly created children Fix-Its were hovering about their parents. "Machines that reproduce themselves..." Asriel was in awe. The mood was joyous... At least until the mother started shuddering and shaking while something metal rattled around inside before dropping to the ground with a sizzle...but nothing else. "Oh no...there wasn't enough electricity to...!" There was a moment of silence. "No. I'm not going to close out this night with a still-birth ringing in my memories!" I said as I jolted an arc between index fingers as I bore my claws to focus the power. As Asriel held Faye back from her concern and the others tried to calm the parents, I defibrillated multiple times until... "..." "Volt...I'm sorry. You did your best." I let a tear roll down my face. "I shouldn't have tried to be a doctor for an alien species." "Batteries not included." We all turned. Harry spoke again. But...was it really appropriate to say at a time like this. My ears drooped and Asriel just hung his head, his solar powers manefesting in his fists for a moment...but then he relaxed his hands, the warm glow fading. "I wish you could see the world you came into, little one." He picked up the metal corpse and embraced it for a moment before setting it down on the ledge to get a view of the night sky. The night was silent and we thought it would stay that way...at least until the brick that it was sitting on crumbled and gave way. Faye gasped in anguish as Asriel tried to run to grab it but...he stopped before getting to the edge. Moments passed...then he just accepted what happened and turned away. That was when my ear perked up. "Hmm?" I looked toward the edge of the roof. Slowly but surely...the fallen mini UFO hover up into view...and joined his family. "We bring good things to life." Again we turned to Harry. After a bit of catch-up and such and making sure the Fix-It's were on their way without becoming a news media spectacle... "Tiny miracles, Volt." "You said it Azzy." Everyone on the roof swore to secrecy. It was the second time I had encountered the Fix-Its. Honestly...it probably wouldn't be the last. History repeats itself...sometimes scarily to the letter, the moment...the circumstances. In the years that followed, the developers would build around the hotel after a certain incident occured. I won't go into details but...suffice to say the suddenly rebuilt building had a subtle tell-tale sign of our alien robot friends in the pattern of the tiled floor in the lobby. "So why ARE they called Fix-Its?" "Well, they have a knack for repairing technology. I remember when Faye shocked us all by smashing her husband's pocket watch with a potted plant...then right before my eyes the father and mother Fix-It's completely reassembled every part, every piece back to its original form. It was still ticking and had barely lost a moment of time." "Wow. They would be something else if they were a common thing around our world." "Yeah...but I guess the fact that they're uncommon means that they're that much more special. I mean...the fewer there are, the rarer the miracle, right?" I said as I booped Asriel on the snoot. "I get what you're getting at. Well. You've buttered me up, best friend. Want to break for dinner? I'll message mom and say I'll be home late. "Sure. How do you feel about...burgers?" "Sounds good. Just as long as I don't bite into something metal." "Too soon, Azzy. Too soon..." I said as I started the cherry-picker up and headed off to the Power Plant's vehicle yard. Chapter 19 Back To Part 2 Back to Project Lost Dreemurr Next